Joe Flacco is moving from one AFC North team to another.
The Cincinnati Bengals are acquiring quarterback Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Browns announced Tuesday afternoon. The Browns received a 2026 fifth-round pick, and the Bengals received Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick (from the Detroit Lions).
It's a move by the Bengals (2-3) to keep themselves in playoff contention until franchise quarterback Joe Burrow hopefully returns from toe surgery late in the season. Burrow is expected to miss a minimum of three months following his Sept. 18 surgery.
Cincinnati has dropped three straight games with Jake Browning as their starting quarterback, and he has thrown eight interceptions this season. Head Coach Zac Taylor left the door open for a quarterback change after Sunday's 37-24 loss to the Lions.
The Lions intercepted Browning three times, and two of those turnovers led to touchdown drives by Detroit. Browning's three touchdown passes came after Detroit had already built a 28-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Flacco started the Browns' first four games but was replaced by Dillon Gabriel in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. With Flacco moving on, rookie Shedeur Sanders presumably becomes the No. 2 quarterback behind Gabriel on Cleveland's depth chart.
Flacco, who won a Super Bowl MVP with the Ravens, had a league-high eight turnovers in four starts for the Browns. However, joining the Bengals will give him an opportunity to work with one of the NFL's strongest wide receiver tandems in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
In his 18th NFL season, the 40-year-old Flacco returned to M&T Bank Stadium in Week 2 when the Ravens defeated Cleveland, 41-17, as Flacco threw for 199 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Now Flacco could face the Ravens two more times this season - when the Bengals visit Baltimore on Thanksgiving Night, and on Dec. 14 when the Ravens visit Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Watching Divisional Foes Fall Made Their Day
The Steelers (3-1) had a bye in Week 5, but their early lead in the AFC North grew.
The Ravens, Bengals, and Browns all lost, making for a happy Sunday in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are the only team in the division with a winning record.
In 2024, the Steelers started 10-3 but lost their last four regular-season games and were overtaken by the Ravens, who won their second-straight AFC North crown. Then, in the playoffs, the Ravens eliminated the Steelers on Wild Card Weekend.
Pittsburgh still hasn't faced an AFC North opponent, but that will change over the next two weeks. After hosting the Browns in Week 6, the Steelers will visit the Bengals in Week 7. Winning their next two games would make the Steelers' early-season grip on first place even tighter.
The Ravens (1-4) don't face Pittsburgh until Dec. 7 and will visit Pittsburgh in the Week 18 regular-season finale.
