For his 18th NFL season, former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco split his starts between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. As he heads into his 19th season, he has decided where he'll play.
According to Flacco's agents at JL Sports via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Flacco has reached a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals to return on a one-year deal. He returns to the team that he finished the 2025 season for, going 1-5 in the process.
"Joe Flacco has reached agreement with the Cincinnati Bengals on a one-year deal, his agents at @JLSports3 tell ESPN," Fowler reported on Tuesday.
As far as compensation goes, Fowler reported that it will be a $6 million deal worth up to $9 million with incentives. There was interest from the Las Vegas Raiders in his services, but Burrow reportedly preferred Cincinnati.
Still Slingin' It
Despite playing for six different teams over the last eight years, Flacco has started at least one game in all 18 of his NFL seasons. Last year wasn't exactly exemplary but he still finished the season with 2,479 passing yards and 15 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
As bad as that may sound, it's still better than what a handful of NFL teams were able to achieve with their quarterbacks over an entire season.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Assuming Flacco didn't use up his remaining juice last season, he can be a good backup for Joe Burrow this season. While he won't exactly inspire confidence as a backup if Burrow gets hurt, Bengals fans probably wouldn't feel confident in any quarterback continuing where Burrow leaves off.
Of course, Flacco turned 41 at the end of the 2025 season and will thus be one of the oldest players in the NFL in 2026. He's only one year and one month younger than Aaron Rodgers.
Will 2026 be Flacco's final year in the NFL?
