When the 2026 game of starting quarterback musical chairs stopped, Joe Flacco found himself without a seat that would at least let him battle for playing time. So he re-upped with the Cincinnati Bengals to be Joe Burrow's backup.
Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Flacco was frank about his confidence that he can still be a starting quarterback, and didn't hold back regarding teams that didn't consider him a suitable alternative.
"I think I can get caught up in all that and say, 'Why not me' and all that, and be bitter about it," Flacco said. "Listen, maybe part of that does motivate me to still do what I'm doing. I probably do feel that way. I feel like I have unfinished business. That's part of why I'm here and still playing and doing all those things. Not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere, yeah, it pisses me off a little bit. But at the same time, I'm very happy to be here.
"I had a lot of fun with Joe, and Joe's the guy. And believe me, I wish I was the guy somewhere, and I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy."
Flacco started four games for Cincinnati following a midseason trade from the Cleveland Browns, stabilizing the position as the club began to spiral. In all, the veteran started 10 games at 40 years old for the Browns and Bengals, completing 60.3% of his passes for 2,479 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2025. His clubs went 2-8 in those starts.
Despite his savviness and ability to keep an offense functioning, it's not a total surprise that teams wouldn't seek out a 41-year-old quarterback entering Year 19 who has never been the mobile type. Flacco could have waited into the summer to see if a gig opened up, but decided to take the offer to remain in Cincinnati behind Burrow.
"I had conversations with (coach) Zac (Taylor) about that, just like waiting vs. signing," Flacco said. "Being around the guys and playing football is what I like to do, and it's important to me to be out there doing that.
"I went into the offseason hoping I'd have multiple options and have to think about it, make a really big decision. I think that kind of came up at some point in this offseason. Can I do this or that? There was a piece of me going into the offseason, too, that was like, 'Oh, I'm willing to go home and sit around if that is the thing.' And then as the offseason kind of went on, it was like I do want to go somewhere, compete and start. But at the same time, if the situation isn't exactly how I want it and I don't truly feel about that situation. ... I did start to feel good about it. In my gut, I started to feel good about the possibilities of coming back here."
Flacco said he hasn't had conversations with the Bengals brass about the possibility they'd allow him to go to another team if a starting need presented itself -- as happened last year when he was in Cleveland -- but said he wouldn't shy away from those "grown-up conversations" if warranted down the road.
Burrow has missed significant chunks of time in three of his six seasons, including eight games last year. It's possible Flacco's easiest path to playing time in 2026 could be in Cincy.
