Former Super Bowl MVP Re-signs with the Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals announced that they are re-signing a veteran quarterback to their roster. After an impressive season playing for both of the NFL’s Ohio teams in 2025, Joe Flacco has earned another contract. Father Time has yet to claim the career of Flacco, who earned his first career Pro Bowl nod at age 41. There is zero chance that Burrow will lose the starting job to Flacco, but knowing Flacco was able to perform amid Burrow’s absence, Cincy wanted to keep the veteran in town on a one-year deal worth six million dollars.
Flacco Went from an Average Starter to an Elite Playoff QB in the 2010s
One could say the same word to describe both Flacco’s career and the 2008 NFL Draft: mediocre. There were names like Matt Ryan, Calais Campbell, and Aqib Talib in that draft, but overall, no one who could be seen as a first ballot Hall of Famer. That illustrates a lot of the underwhelming factors that have plagued Flacco’s career. Before drafting Flacco, the greatest quarterback in Ravens history was either Kyle Boller, whose best season came with a 13-11 TD-INT ratio while throwing for less than 2,600 yards but started in 42 career games, Vinny Testaverde, whose 1996 season still remains top-three in Ravens history for passing yards and touchdowns, or Steve McNair, who brought the Ravens to their first playoff bye week when he went 13-3 in 2006. Nonetheless, it was surely a debated topic for the franchise that had existed for just over a decade at this point. The eventual best-ever QB for the Ravens didn’t exactly show right away that he was any less of a mistake than Boller, their previous first-round quarterback. However, something clicked when the new decade rolled around; from 2010-12, Flacco compiled a 34-14 record while maintaining a ratio of two touchdowns to one interception, elevating his play in the postseason, earning the Super Bowl XLVII MVP after throwing 13 touchdowns and zero picks in the 2012 playoffs.
Bounced Around the AFC in Latter Half of Career
Unfortunately for the former Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hen, his play seriously plateaued after that Super Bowl. With the exception of the 2014 season, he couldn’t complete a season as a league-average starter, constantly finishing in the bottom quarter of the league in passer rating. Eventually, the Ravens decided enough was enough and drafted Lamar Jackson to succeed Flacco, a decision that they surely don’t regret almost 10 years later. Baltimore traded the New Jersey native to the Broncos, who also replaced him with their promising young quarterback, Drew Lock, who turned out not to be so promising. Then came the Jets, who, you guessed it, replaced him with another young quarterback in Zach Wilson after just giving up on their other young quarterback, Sam Darnold. Flacco stayed with the Jets into his mid-to-late 30s before spending most of the 2023 season as a free agent and surprisingly led the Browns to a playoff berth, earning himself the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Flacco signed with the Indianapolis Colts for a year, but re-signed with the Browns in 2025, becoming a reliable passer, starting four games in Cleveland before being traded to the divisional rival Bengals and excelling with the pass-catching duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins so much that he earned his first Pro Bowl appearance last season. Flacco’s QB1 days may be behind him, but he has been a part of a winning locker room, knows how to win, and wants to contribute to a playoff contender like the Bengals as long as they’ll have him.
