Joe Flacco says 'we signed up for concussions' in fiery rant on QBs

Cincinnati Bengals freshly minted Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Flacco has been around the NFL block a time or two.

Flacco has gone from a franchise staple for the rival Ravens where he won a Super Bowl MVP to an age-defying nomad, questing across many other teams in the latter stages of his career. All for the love of the game.

Given that the 41-year-old is of a different generation than most modern QBs, it's not a surprise that Flacco is in a reflective mood. Thinking about the good ol' days. Pondering his next team.

But in a lengthy monologue that's going viral, he did raise some compelling points about how the NFL, Year 2026, might be protecting quarterbacks to a fault.

Bengals QB Joe Flacco believes his generation was more 'battle-tested' & blasts NFL player safety rules

In speaking with ESPN's Kevin Clark, Flacco went nuclear on the modern game of football and how quarterbacks are coddled way too often. He started off by discussing the generational divide between the old guard and the young hotshots entering the NFL nowadays, which has coincided with what Flacco considers too many protections for QBs that water down the on-field product:

"I don't think anybody coming into the league these days is quite as battle-tested as guys that came into the league 15 years ago. I think our generation does benefit from dealing with a little bit of tougher times just like the generation 20 years before me benefited over us you know what I mean? […] I don't think it should be roughing the passer when they land on us. I don't think being slapped in the head should be roughing the passer. It honestly annoys me, because it affects games in a negative way at random times."

To counter Flacco's first point there, it's a bummer when quarterbacks get hurt. Look no further than his teammate, Joe Burrow, who's missed about half of two of his last three seasons.

There's a reason many label football players as modern gladiators. It's a violent sport that comes with serious risk of injury. Flacco doesn't believe in quarterbacks being excused from that side of it in the slightest, going so far as to

"I know CTE is a thing these days and all that, but it's football. we signed up to play it. There's certain things that shouldn't be penalties. […] These 15-yard penalties in big situations that really shouldn't be penalties in the game of football, they change these games. As a fan, I just don't like it. I want it to be up to us. Getting slapped in the face should not change the game. It really shouldn’t. And then on top of that, you can't play guys can't even play defense as aggressively because they're getting fined so much money for just normal hits it's it's changed the game a lot […] I don't like it. Listen, we signed up to get concussions. We signed up to get hurt. It is what it is."

Here's the full clip of Flacco's tirade, which is sure to go down as one of the better so-called Super Bowl Radio Row interviews of all-time. Do they still call it Radio Row? More like Podcast Row, amirite?

You can see why Flacco must've gotten along quite well with Burrow once he was back in the Bengals' QB room and not rehabbing that brutal turf toe injury. Joe Shiesty is an old-school, throwback pocket passer with some 21st century mobility, swagger, and style mixed in.

Burrow admitted all the way back in 2022 that he'd played in games before where he didn't remember the second half, or even the entire game. This despite never being officially diagnosed with a concussion since he entered the NFL in 2020.

It's times like these when it can feel silly to ever criticize any NFL player. They're quite literally risking their livelihood and their long-term mental health on every single snap for our entertainment.

...And yes. For many millions of dollars. Doesn't detract from how brutal this sport can be, nor from how courageous — and how perhaps a bit off-kilter one has to be to actively seek out and embrace the raw physicality of the game like Flacco and Burrow do.