The Cleveland Browns are trading quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals , according to a report by NFL Network , in advance of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing both of those teams over the next 10 days.
Flacco, who won the Browns starting quarterback job this offseason in a four-way competition, had been benched for third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel in Week 5. Gabriel made his first career start in the Browns' loss to the Minnesota Vikings .
Flacco will immediately be inserted in the starting quarterback conversation in Cincinnati. The Bengals have been playing backup Jake Browning since Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury. He won his relief appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, but has lost each of his three starts, leaving the championship-seeking Bengals tied with the Browns for last place in the AFC North .
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 23, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Head coach Zac Taylor would not commit to Browning as a starter going forward in his press conference on Monday, and it now appears that he at least has a secondary option in Flacco. The Bengals are visiting the Green Bay Packers this Sunday afternoon.
In his four games with the Browns this season, Flacco had a 1-3 record, completing 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions for a career-low 60.3 passer rating.
Flacco has played in 22 games against the Steelers in his career, with an 11-11 record, 5,028 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 85.4 passer rating. All but one of those games came while Flacco was the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens . He beat the Steelers last season in a relief appearance as the backup for the Indianapolis Colts , successfully replacing Anthony Richardson.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco is hit by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt during a game on Sept. 29, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
With the trade, what was once a quarterback logjam in Cleveland has now become a suddenly thin group. The Browns entered training camp with Flacco, Kenny Pickett , Gabriel and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders in competition. Pickett was traded to the Raiders before the start of the season, and now Sanders, who controversially fell in the 2025 NFL Draft after being considered a top prospect, is now the lone backup to Gabriel. Former New England Patriots draft pick Bailey Zappe is on the Cleveland practice squad.
The Browns are getting a fifth-round pick in exchange for Flacco, with Cincinnati also getting Cleveland's sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft back in exchange for the veteran signal caller.
Sunday, Oct. 12, 1 p.m. on CBS: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Oct. 12, 1 p.m. on FOX: Los Angeles Rams
at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, Oct. 12, 4:25 p.m. on FOX: Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers
| Team |
Record |
Conf |
AFC North |
Head to Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
3-1 |
2-0 |
0-0 |
|
| Cincinnati Bengals |
2-3 |
2-1 |
1-0 |
W: CLE |
| Baltimore Ravens |
1-4 |
1-2 |
1-0 |
W: CLE |
| Cleveland Browns |
1-4 |
0-2 |
0-2 |
L: CIN, BAL |
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Browns Make AFC North Shocker, Trade Joe Flacco to Bengals Ahead of Steelers Game
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