Ravens Guaranteed More Joe Flacco Matchups in AFC North Return

The Baltimore Ravens can look forward to more matchup possibilities against an old friend.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) stands on the sideline in the second quarter of the NFL Week 14 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Five years ago, the Baltimore Ravens never could have guessed that Joe Flacco would sustain as a regularly-recurring character amidst their mid-2020s quest to return to the sport's summit.

It's a position Flacco knows well, having hoisted the Super Bowl XLVII MVP the last time the Ravens won it all in 2013, but he's no spring chicken, set to turn 42 years old before the following season's concluded. Yet here he stands, still inking contracts and signing up for more swings against his former team, as he's now locked in for one more ride with the Cincinnati Bengals, as reported by Tom Pelissero.

Bengals signing QB Joe Flacco to one-year deal. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/tfU0h4ao6Q

— NFL (@NFL) March 24, 2026

The journeyman quarterback continues to make the most of his arm and veteran presence, now set for his third tour in the AFC North since resuscitating his career three seasons ago. The Cleveland Browns have him one more chance after dropping out of the league, and he's parlayed that opportunity into 40 more touchdowns as a fearless, receiver-friendly thrower from the pocket.

Flacco most recently appeared with the Bengals as Joe Burrow's understudy, making just nine appearances last season following his midseason trade. And with two more matchups against the Ravens and the oft-injured Burrow at the helm ahead of him, Flacco has a real chance to add another successful trip to Baltimore to his growing list.

Flacco and the New-Look Ravens

The team he spent his first 11 seasons with looks very little like the squad he'll remember, especially following some of the offseason's sweeping changes.

Gone is John Harbaugh, the coach who once helped lead Flacco and co. to immortality over a decade ago, replaced with a defensive-minded wunderkind in Jesse Minter. Former teammate and friend Lamar Jackson's still got the starting quarterback job on lock, but many of the supplementary Ravens Flacco may have come to recognize from afar over the years have spent free agency walking away from Baltimore.

Flacco went 0-1 against the Ravens as a starter last season, succumbing for Baltimore's first win of their 2025 campaign before the Browns opted to deal him across their division. He's as unafraid to let the ball zing as ever, but he still took several sacks while getting held to sub-200 yards on 45 passing attempts.

Sep 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

And that was against an uninspiring Ravens pass-rush. Their 8-9 finish was disappointing enough for the front office to bring in a specialist in Minter, someone energetic and creative enough to breathe new life into a defense that had strayed too far from the bruising unit that Flacco remembers. With any luck, they'll draft and develop enough on a short clock to provide him with an advertisement for the pancaking team they're trying to be upon their next meeting, starting with the quarterback's old teammate, Bengal-turned-Raven Trey Hendrickson along the defensive end.

Flacco can still expect more than a smattering of applause when he touches back down in Baltimore, with his Bengals set to make the trip to Baltimore for the Ravens' regular season home opener. Burrow is the real name on the matchup's marquee, but an appearance out of the grizzled veteran would certainly be welcomed with open arms, too.

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