Joe Flacco returns to the Bengals on a one-year deal

Last year, Joe Flacco arrived in Cincinnati by trade. This year, it’s by choice.

Via agent Joe Linta, Flacco has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Bengals.

Flacco, 41, appeared in nine games for the Bengals in 2025, with six starts. He had opened the season as the Browns’ starter. Cleveland traded him to Cincinnati after Flacco was benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Flacco joins Joe Burrow, Josh Johnson, and Sean Clifford on the depth chart in Cincinnati.

A first-round pick of the Ravens in 2008, Flacco won the Super Bowl XLVII MVP award to cap the 2012 season. He was twice the NFL’s highest-paid player.

He was cut by the Ravens after the 2018 season. Since then, he has played for the Broncos, Jets, Browns (twice), the Colts, and the Bengals. In 2023, a late-season stint in Cleveland resulted in Flacco winning the comeback player of the year award.