The Cincinnati Bengals have argualby the best backup quarterback in the league in Joe Flacco. With all the injury history involving Joe Burrow, giving up Flacco for, say, a Day 3 pick, never mind the Day 3 pick swap the Bengals stole Flacco for from Cleveland last season, would be foolish to say the least.
But a danger-zone scenario has presented itself. Longtime Ravens and new Giants head coach John Harbaugh just lost his starting QB, Jaxson Dart, for the rest of the season. Jameis Winston is the only man he can turn to, and Jameis is notorious for throwing awful interceptions. Not exactly a winning formula.
Could Flacco and Harbaugh reunite in the Big Apple? I know it's New Jersey, I live out here, y'all. Give me a break. Anyway, could they? I say no.
Short of a Godfather offer, Flacco is too valuable for Cincinnati to move
If I'm Duke Tobin, Mike Brown and family, I'm not moving Joe Flacco for anything less than a second-round pick. The Giants aren't that desperate. They're a rebuilding team trying to establish credibility. Sacrificing a high draft asset like that for a quadragenarian QB who might give them an outside shot at hte playoffs makes little sense in the present or for the future.
But that won't stop people from speculating. Nor did it stop Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer broaching the topic with Flacco, which he quite politely turned down:
Although Flacco added the caveat that he didn't expect to be traded in 2025 either, and it's clear he wants to still play because, well, he's a football player, it doesn't sound like he's going anywhere.
Flacco's friends: "I'll see you in New York!"
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 24, 2026
Flacco: "No, guys. You won't."
Good stuff with @KelseyLConway. https://t.co/w64nv9zF0U
Bengals don't owe a longtime rival any favors at their own expense
Shoot, even a second-round pick in exchange for Joe Flacco doesn't sound appealing. Because the Bengals got real with their roster-building on defense, they don't need an inordinate amount of draft capital.
Cincinnati spent the 10th overall pick this year on Dexter Lawrence anyway. That's working quite well, eh? I wouldn't hate them scoring another star player that with their own first- or second-round pick this coming offseason either.
Good to see Flacco give this nonsense storyline so little oxygen. He knows how QB narratives can spin out of control.
Plus, would Flacco even want any part of John Harbaugh? He got forced out of Baltimore as the franchise quarterback once the team overhauled their offense to accommodate two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson.
That was the right move for the Ravens, but all these years later, and as recently as last season, Flacco proved he can spin it among the best in the world still. And that's why, as a Burrow contingency plan and a trusted QB room confidante who's seen so much football over the years, he's invaluable for the Bengals' push toward their first-ever Super Bowl victory.
Sorry, G-Men. I know we already did business with Sexy Dexy, and I know your fans are in hilarious denial about how comically dominant he is. We are not open for business again. You get nothing! GOOD DAY!
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