Things have reached an extremely dire situation for the Baltimore Ravens. After a long wait to get their quarterback back from injury, Lamar Jackson suffered another injury and is now headed to injured reserve.
At 4-4, it seems unlikely that the Ravens want to punt on the season. As a result, speculation of a reunion with Joe Flacco has started making the rounds. But fans of the Cincinnati Bengals aren't entertaining that idea.
After Baltimore missed the playoffs last season, the Ravens moved on from longtime head coach John Harbaugh and hired Jesse Minter.
Now, facing another difficult path to the postseason, they are searching for an alternative at quarterback, even though it might be nearly impossible to replicate the production Jackson was giving them. Jackson entered Week 8 ranked No. 2 in PFN's Quarterback Impact Metric .
That is where Flacco, who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore and remained with the team through the 2018 season after being drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, has been named as a possible candidate to keep the Ravens' season afloat.
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However, with Flacco serving as the Bengals' backup, fans reacting to the possibility aren't eager to help a divisional rival unless Cincinnati is heavily compensated. Several Bengals fans pushed back against the idea on social media.
"Why would the Bengals help the Ravens?" one fan questioned . "Lol. Especially when they need Flacco as a reliable backup in case Burrow gets banged up. Ravens would have to overpay."
Over the previous three seasons, Burrow was limited to 10 or fewer games twice. As a result, having an experienced veteran behind him is clearly valuable for the Bengals.
"I'm being 100% serious: [expletive] the Ravens," one fan exclaimed . "Not sending them [expletive]."
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As one fan argued , "We'd prolly never do it," while another fan jokingly asked , "Yeah man, give us a 1st, and he's yours."
That demand for extremely high compensation continued as one fan went a step further , asking, "Two first-round picks, let's make a deal."
The Bengals fans reacting on social media clearly weren't interested in improving Baltimore's chances. Cincinnati currently sits second in the AFC North at 5-2 and has a legitimate opportunity to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season.
Putting that in any sort of jeopardy, especially with another game against the Ravens remaining on the calendar, might not be the wisest move. Instead, Baltimore might need to search for other alternatives to fix its quarterback conundrum.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
