NFL World Reacts To Joe Flacco Getting Traded To Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are trading for Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco to try and keep the 2-3 season alive in hopes of making a potential Joe Burrow return later in the season worthy of happening.

Flacco has been terrible this season, completing 58.1% of his passes for two touchdowns and six interceptions, but it's something different behind center. Jake Browning has been arguably a bit better, but neither player has played average, let alone good football this season.

Flacco just got benched for a rookie last week, and now he's coming south to replace Browning.

“We'll see where it goes,” Taylor said about the QB situation on Monday. “Like all personnel decisions, we've got to evaluate it. Jake's been very accountable for how the game went for him. I've got to be accountable for how the game went for me as well. And so we'll continue to progress here through the days.”

Cincinnati will get him up to speed quickly this week with a reported plan from Adam Schefter to start him on Sunday against the Packers. He's already played them once this season in a victory, passing for 142 yards and one touchdown, calculating out to an abysmal 30 ESPN QBR.

His 2025 struggles are a big reason why ESPN's Seth Walder gave Cincinnati a "C" grade for the deal and Cleveland a "B+."

"Flacco is coming off a failed stint as the Browns' starter in which he recorded as disastrous 27.6 QBR, 4.6 yards per dropback and a 4.2% (!) turnover rate. And that came playing for Kevin Stefanski, with whom Flacco had some level of success with in 2023," Walder wrote. "At 40 years old, Flacco could simply be done at this point. And considering his play this season, are we sure he's an upgrade?

"In my opinion, Cincinnati's first choice should have been Atlanta's Kirk Cousins If you're asking someone to steward the team to a .500ish record until Burrow can return, Cousins can probably do that better than any quarterback who realistically could be available. I would have been willing to pay more for him, too, considering the leverage and importance here. But would the Falcons be willing to trade Cousins? For how much? And are they willing to trade him now -- this far ahead of the deadline? The last question is important, because the Bengals had urgency."

Check out more reaction to the move from around the NFL:

Hopefully getting to throw the football to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins helps Joe Flacco get back to 2023-24 form because 2025 has not been good pic.twitter.com/xoVjktViYe
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 7, 2025

"I don't know why it's not a younger, more athletic option. ... This move doesn't feel like an upgrade."

The NFL Live crew reacts to the Bengals trading for Joe Flacco 😯 pic.twitter.com/3Q97yUae8q
— ESPN (@espn) October 7, 2025

Bengals doing this trade means they think Joe is on track to be back by December.

They just need someone who doesn't throw three picks a game so they can stay afloat (Flacco only throws 1.5 per game, so hurray for upgrades). https://t.co/4BzF1VIU5l
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 7, 2025

Joe Flacco is Target brand Jameis Winston. And I love Target!
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 7, 2025

Joe Flacco is 40 behind that Bengals OLine, they’re gonna turn him into a family man.
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 7, 2025

A team giving anything up for Joe Flacco in October 2025 is disgraceful. https://t.co/jKH6SamRZ3
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) October 7, 2025

Joe Flacco can sign with the Steelers next offseason to hit for the cycle https://t.co/hCCpIJ1INe
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) October 7, 2025

Here's the thing: Every chance you have to get into the playoffs with someone like Joe Burrow at quarterback is gold. And so if Joe Flacco gives Cincinnati a shot to sneak into a depleted AFC bracket with Burrow back in the saddle, then the price here is steal.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 7, 2025

Good news, Bengals fans! You guys have a good OL in front of Flacco, right? pic.twitter.com/9VJF0oipbu
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) October 7, 2025

Another first: The only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to start for both the Bengals and Browns is Jeff Driskel. No quarterback has ever started for the Bengals, Browns and Ravens in his career.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 7, 2025

Joe Flacco getting traded from the Browns to the Bengals is the third intradivision trade involving a quarterback this century, per ESPN’s @EpKap.
⁰🏈April 2010: Eagles traded Donovan McNabb to Washington.⁰⁰🏈April 2001: Patriots traded Drew Bledsoe to the Bills.

Now, Flacco. pic.twitter.com/0KOVBj4CBv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 7, 2025

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