Sportsnaut
Earlier this week, the Cincinnati Bengals traded for Joe Flacco to replace Jake Browning as the team’s starting quarterback. The Bengals made a quick decision to pivot away from Browning after he led the team to a 0-3 record in place of Burrow. Browning started his last game for the Bengals on Sunday. By Tuesday, the Bengals had already agreed to trade for Flacco.
While we have to credit the Bengals for trying to do something different after seeing a failed effort on offense, some would suggest that Flacco isn’t an upgrade, but merely a lateral move. However, the Bengals did check in on other quarterbacks before trading for the former Super Bowl winner.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bengals also checked in on retired former New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr. In fact, the Bengals checked in with every team with three quarterbacks or a viable practice squad candidate.
Though, it wouldn’t have been as easy as simply talking to Carr and/or his agent. They also would have had to send trade compensation back to the Saints in exchange for Carr. Plus, there hasn’t been an injury update on Carr since he retired after facing lingering shoulder issues that may or may not require surgery. In other words, there’s no guarantee he would have been able to play either.
In addition to checking in on Carr, the Bengals also checked in on the availability of Davis Mills and Sam Howell. The Bengals did not look into signing free agent Ryan Tannehill, who was out of football in 2024. Cincinnati reportedly wanted someone who had played recently, which knocked Tannehill out of the running.
Now that we know which quarterbacks Cincinnati considered, it will be interesting looking back in a few weeks, at the end of the season, or even in a few years, at the other options the Bengals had. For now, we’ll see if Flacco can create a much-needed spark in Cincinnati.
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