Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco is hitting free agency this offseason, but not before he does something he's never done before. The 41-year-old received the first Pro Bowl nod of his career on Friday, per the Cincinnati Bengals’ social media.

Flacco played four games for the Cleveland Browns in 2025 before they traded him to the Bengals. The former Super Bowl MVP filled in for the injured Joe Burrow and finished the season with 2,479 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 60.3 completion percentage across 13 combined games for both teams.

Flacco joins Bengals star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the AFC’s roster for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games.

Flacco wasn’t one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks by any means this season, as he finished 25th a 41.1 QBR. However, the former Baltimore Raven deserved to have a Pro Bowl selection on his resume before retiring. 

Flacco’s seven career road playoff wins are tied with Tom Brady for the most by a quarterback in football history. Additionally, the Delaware native is tied for the NFL record with 11 touchdowns in a single postseason (2012).

Flacco not only led the Ravens to a championship in 2012, but he had 3,500-plus yards in seven different seasons with the team. He’s also tied with Joe Montana for the most touchdowns in a postseason without an interception (2012 season).

That's a player who deserves at least one Pro Bowl nod, but his prime was in an era with all-time greats like Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers. Constantly battling those legends often left him at a disadvantage in terms of personal awards, but he's built a notable legacy in his own right.   

Moving forward, Flacco will hit free agency again after playing with the Browns in 2023 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2024 before signing a one-year deal to return to Cleveland in April. The 2008 first-round pick showed once again this past year that he's a capable backup despite his age, and that type of quarterback is always in demand.

Flacco hasn't been a full-time starter since Lamar Jackson took his job in Baltimore midway through the 2018 campaign, but he's thrived in multiple different situations since then. He notched a 65.2 completion percentage over eight games for the Denver Broncos in 2019 before totaling 14 touchdowns and six interceptions over the next three seasons with the New York Jets.

Flacco then joined the Browns midseason in 2023 and led them to the playoffs after Deshaun Watson got injured before tossing 12 touchdowns and seven picks for the Colts after Anthony Richardson went down in 2024.