The Cleveland Browns have made a quarterback trade with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cleveland Browns are trading quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, one week after Flacco was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL media were the first to report the news.
The Browns signed Flacco in free agency, hoping he would provide a stable veteran presence in 2025. They then selected both Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft.
Flacco won the starting job out of training camp, also beating out Kenny Pickett, who was ultimately traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cleveland was hoping that Flacco could recapture his 2023 magic, when he went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs while winning the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Unfortunately for all parties involved, Flacco was unable to rekindle that spark. In four starts for Cleveland this season, the 40-year-old threw for 815 yards, a couple of touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 58.1 percent of his passes and posting a 60.3 passer rating.
The Browns went 1-3 in those games.
Gabriel put forth a decent effort in his first start this past weekend, although Cleveland fell to the Minnesota Vikings in London. Still, it seemed obvious that the Browns were done with Flacco, and with the Bengals needing a quarterback following Joe Burrow's injury, a trade made sense.
Cincinnati has lost three games in a row thanks much in part to some putrid play from Jake Browning, who assumed Burrow's spot under center. While Flacco hasn't exactly been any better this season, the Bengals are clearly just trying to add some competition.
Cleveland has already faced Cincinnati once this season, with the Bengals coming away with a 17-16 victory at Huntington Bank Field in Week 1. The Browns won't see Cincinnati again until the season finale, and at that point, Burrow might be back on the field.
This will mark Flacco's sixth NFL team. He famously spent the first 11 years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens and has also spent time with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.