It finally happened: Joe Flacco is re-signing with the Cincinnati Bengals on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
This locks in Flacco as QB2 for the 2026 season in the event Joe Burrow goes down with an injury, something that’s happened in two of the past three seasons and three times in his six-year NFL career.
It also means Josh Johnson, who was recently signed, will have to earn his roster spot as a third QB next season if the Bengals opt to keep that many on the 53-man roster.
While other free agency additions like safety Bryan Cook and defensive end Boye Mafe will hopefully make a bigger impact next season, there’s no denying how impactful a good backup QB can be for an NFL team. We saw that last year when Flacco nearly rallied this team during his stint as QB1, though the defense being horrifically bad ultimately undid what the 41-year-old veteran was able to accomplish in this offense.
If the Bengals had even an average defense, Flacco may have very well won several of his starts and kept his team firmly in the playoff picture once Burrow returned.
Let’s hope Flacco can produce at a similar level if called upon this year and gets some support from his defense.
