Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco never faced the Pittsburgh Steelers as a member of the Cleveland Browns. But Flacco will have an opportunity to perform against the Steelers with the Cincinnati Bengals.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday the Bengals acquired Flacco from the Browns in a draft pick exchange. Multiple other NFL insiders also reported the trade Tuesday afternoon.
The Browns will receive a 2026 fifth-round pick. In exchange, the Bengals will get Flacco and a 2026 sixth-rounder.
Cincinnati is adding Flacco to its roster, presumably to start immediately, nine days prior to facing the Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Bengals were shopping around the league for a quarterback since losing Sunday. Yet, Rapoport still referred to Cincinnati acquiring Flacco as “a stunner.”
Flacco will likely replace Jake Browning behind center in Cincinnati. Browning has posted an 0-3 record since starting for Joe Burrow, who suffered a toe injury during Week 2.
Browning went 4-3 in seven starts during the 2023 campaign. But this season, he has gone winless. During his starts, the Bengals have averaged 12.3 points and 217.3 yards per contest.
Flacco went 1-3 with a 58.1% completion percentage and 5.1 yards per pass average in four starts with the Browns this season. Flacco also had two touchdowns and six interceptions.
Steelers Likely to Face Joe Flacco With Bengals in Week 7
The Steelers have an interesting next 10 days with two divisional showdowns. Fascinatingly, those two teams, the Browns and Bengals, just executed a rare inter-division trade.
With Flacco heading to Cincinnati, he will likely make his 23rd appearance against the Steelers on October 16. Flacco owns an 11-11 record in his previous 22 encounters with Pittsburgh.
Most recently, the veteran quarterback carved up Pittsburgh’s secondary while he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts last year. Flacco came off the bench to go 16 of 26 for 168 yards with two touchdowns. Indianapolis won that Week 4 matchup 27-24 last season.
Before Week 4 this year, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained that he actually didn’t want Flacco, who was Anthony Richardson’s backup for the Pittsburgh-Indianapolis matchup in 2024, to play.
I don’t necessarily view it as a negative thing for the Minnesota Vikings, at least in the short term, that Carson is playing for them. We were in a similar situation a year ago — we were playing in Indianapolis,” Tomlin told reporters on September 24, via Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells. “Man, and I commented to the guys, ‘Keep [Anthony] Richardson upright. Don’t put [Joe] Flacco in the game.’ And you know, Flacco ended up in the game.”
Flacco coming off the bench against the Steelers was a possibility again in Week 6. Before Tuesday’s trade, Flacco was set to be Cleveland’s backup to Dillon Gabriel.
But instead, the Steelers will have to deal with Flacco four days later. In Week 6, fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders will be Gabriel’s backup for the Browns.
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