The Cincinnati Bengals' season got turned upside down when it was announced after Week 2's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that quarterback Joe Burrow was all but guaranteed to miss the remainder of the 2025 NFL season with a turf toe injury.
It was flipped on its head once again on Tuesday afternoon, when the Bengals made a rare intra-division trade with the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Joe Flacco. The first-ever trade between these two franchises has now placed Flacco on his third AFC North team.
With that in mind, Flacco, the 18-year NFL veteran, played for five different organizations before his sudden cross-state move to Cincinnati. This leaves him with plenty of teams to want revenge on, and fortunately, there are a handful of them on the Bengals' remaining schedule.
Joe Flacco's revenge tour will be epic for Bengals
Flacco also made a stop with the Denver Broncos, and although the Bengals played them in Week 4, before the trade, he has no shortage of sweet revenge to seek in Cincinnati. That will start in Week 8 when he takes on the New York Jets.
He spent three years there from 2020 to 2022 in a primarily backup role to Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson. Although not many people remain from his stint in New York, Flacco will surely look to abuse a Jets team that has yet to win a game so far in 2025 and get some retribution.
Then, in Weeks 13 and 15, he'll face off against the franchise where he started and played most of his career: the Baltimore Ravens. Cincinnati will travel to Baltimore for their first matchup before returning home for their second.
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Baltimore did not necessarily do Flacco wrong in any way, but emotions are sure to be high for him, as he'll play at M&T Bank Stadium for just the second time in his career as a visitor. Given the current state of the Ravens, he may be able to get his first win against his old team as well.
Finally, in Week 18, the Bengals will take on the Browns. Whether it is Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders under center for Cleveland at that point in the season, Flacco will have plenty to prove against a team that took two chances on him and folded both times.
It remains to be seen just how much Flacco has left in the tank, as his start to the 2025 season was not exactly stellar. But regardless, these matchups against his former teams will be electric to take in, providing some entertainment no matter how the season is going.