Bengals QB Joe Flacco's Most Interesting Comments During First News Conference Since Trade

CINCINNATI – New Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco had his first news conference since the team acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday.

Flacco spoke for 19 minutes today, answering a wide range of questions as he prepares to start Sunday’s game, which ironically will be against a Packers team he just beat as the starter in Cleveland three weeks ago.

Here are five of the more interesting answers from Flacco:

On his initial reaction to the trade:

"Crazy business. You have to be ready for anything. That's kind of what it was. Definitely didn't have this on my list of things that were gonna happen. But hey, that's this league, and I'm a player. I think most players would say the same thing. I like to play football. If that's in Cincinnati right now, I'm all for it.”

Sounds as though Flacco was just like everyone else and never saw the move coming.

And then there’s the added difficulty of not just uprooting and moving, but being expected to start five days later.

“I think my personality probably ends up helping me here. You just kind of have to go with it and embrace whatever it is and meet it head on. Also, when you're in these situations, it's a good reminder of the fact that we get to play a game for a living. It makes it almost a little bit easier to not make it bigger than it actually is.”

On how he felt he played during his four starts before being benched by the Browns:

Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco speaks to the media during a press conference in Cincinnati on Oct. 10, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I did not play as well as I wanted to and feel like I’m capable of. I didn’t take care of the ball as well as I wanted to. A couple unfortunate interceptions turn into other ones that you did make mistakes on. You just kind of get stuck in that. That’s probably the thing that stands out. I think this is a great opportunity to get back out there and prove the opposite.”

Flacco was 93 of 160 (58.1 percent) for 815 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions.

His best game was the season opener against the Bengals, when he completed 31 of 45 (68.9 percent) for 290 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

On playing with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins:

“Those guys are two of the best in the world at what they do. If you can’t throw to them and get on the same page as them, then you are in trouble."

Are they the best receivers he will have ever thrown to?

“I don’t want to get into comparing guys I’ve played with. I’ve been fortunate to play with some good players and some good teams. I haven’t gotten to play with these guys yet. But man, they are exciting to watch.

“I can put myself in my kids shoes, for instance,” he added. “I remember when I was a kid watching wide receivers was the coolest thing. Quarterbacks, their job is to kind of get the ball to the guy. The guys doing all the cool things are the guys with the ball in their hands. The running back, the wide receivers. I’ve gotten a chance to play with good wide receivers and just be part of good teams. I’m excited to be with these guys as well.”

On whether he can keep the Bengals afloat to reach the playoffs:

"I sure hope so. That's what I play for, is to win football games and help everybody be at their best. And I hope I can come in here and give these guys my best and elevate us as much as I possibly can and see if we can win a few football games."

Flacco has reached the postseason in seven of his previous 17 seasons.

But it’s been just once in the last 10 years, when he led the Browns into a wild-card game against the Texans in 2023 and lost 45-14.

On why he’s still playing after winning a Super Bowl, earning more than $184 million and having a young family at home:

“I just feel like I have a lot to offer to a football team. I feel like I've put in a lot of work my whole life to get to this point, and just in terms of playing in the NFL in general. I hopefully will have a long life when I'm done, but you only get a chance to play in the NFL once. I feel like I've worked really hard to be a guy that gets to play in the NFL, and I don't want to take that for granted. I still feel like I can play the game at a high level, and I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror when I'm 50 years old and be able to say that I gave it everything that I had.”

Flacco will become the oldest player to ever play for the Bengals on Sunday at 40 years and 266 days.

The current record belongs to former long snapper Clark Harris, who was 38 years, 63 days in his final game in the 2022 season opener.

Because specialists don’t technically count as starters, the official oldest starter in team history was defensive tackle Jerry Fontenot, who was 38 years, 35 days in the 2004 season finale.

Asked if he loves the game more today than he ever has, Flacco struggled to confirm it.

“I don't know. I don't know if it's true or not. I honestly never think about it as a love for the game and this and that. It's part of who I am. And I think as you grow up and become more mature and you have certain things that happen in your life, there are certain things about doing this and getting to show up into that locker room every day with a group of guys, a group of young guys. As you grow up, you just learn how to not take it for granted as much and realize how cool of a situation you're in.”

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