Orlando Brown Jr. Details Bengals Players' Excitement When Joe Flacco Joined Team This Past Season

CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco's 18 years in the NFL were well known in the Bengals locker room when he joined the team early last season. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. discussed the veteran's notoriety when he arrived before their loss to Green Bay in October.

Flacco is going to mull his free agency options this offseason after spending most of the season.

"I would say the funny part is he's got way more superstar notoriety today than he did then, and for whatever reason, that is when he came into our locker room," Brown said on the Ryen Ripen Show. "I think we were getting ready to play Green Bay, his first start. I mean, I couldn't believe guys like Ja'Marr Chase's reaction, Tee Higgins, like these guys that grew up watching the Baltimore Ravens play with those great teams and great defenses. I mean, everybody was a Flacco fan. Man, it's really cool."

The 41-year-old threw for 1,664 yards, 13 TDs, and four INTs in his nine appearances for the Bengals after a midseason trade from the Browns.

He was a strong veteran presence around the building and could be another asset for the franchise in 2026 if he doesn't get a chance to start in a quarterback-hungry market.

After stints with five other AFC teams, Flacco played with the best weaponry of his career in 2025.

"Throwing to Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, handing off to Chase Brown. That wasn't too bad a gig. Joe, I learned it was a lot of fun to be in a room with him. You know, be a part of that quarterback room.” Flacco said last week. “We've been watching him play for long enough now, we kind of know what his ability is about, but his ability to just play at his own pace and, not let the game speed him up, that's kind of what you see when you tend to see really good quarterbacks and to see it up close and personal was definitely kind of confirmed those things."

Cincinnati reportedly has interest in Flacco returning, with not many other options to go to on the roster after Jake Browning regressed heavily during his latest starting run.

The Bengals went 1-5 with Flacco, but he performed well enough to win early on, and that lightning in a bottle could come in handy again in 2026.

"He's got way more superstar notoriety today than he did then... when he came into our locker room... I couldn't believe guy, like, Jamar Chase's reaction... Everybody was a flacco fan, man"

Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. talks about playing with Joe Flacco at different times in… pic.twitter.com/3YyF98hw9n
— Ryan Ripken (@ryanripkenshow) February 9, 2026

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