Sportsnaut
On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Bengals shockingly pulled off an intra-division trade for quarterback Joe Flacco, who’s primed to be their starter this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. While Flacco is presumably an upgrade over Jake Browning, it signaled a sudden shift from the Bengals’ previous mentality to stick with their backup.
Yet, after three consecutive losses, in which the Bengals averaged 12.3 points per game, head coach Zac Taylor felt like he had no choice but to make a change. While the Bengals parted with a fifth-round pick in exchange for Flacco and a sixth, he wasn’t the only QB they considered.
Previously, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicated that while the Bengals internally considered New York Giants QBs Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, they never presented an offer for either one.
However, ESPN’s NFL insider Dan Graziano reports that the Bengals also never really pursued Kirk Cousins either. Players the Bengals did reportedly consider include Seattle’s Drew Lock and Philadelphia’s Sam Howell. Yet, Graziano adds, “eams aren’t eager to trade from their QB depth.”
It may not mean much now, but as the weeks go on, fans may wonder how the season could have wound up differently, had the Bengals either landed Lock or Howell instead of Flacco. Or more so, why wouldn’t the Bengals consider trading for one of the Giants’ QBs? Avoiding Cousins had to be due to cost, considering he has a $40 million cap hit this season.
Flacco’s cap hit is only $1.8 million. Howell’s sits at $1.1 million, and Drew Lock is at $2.2 million. Wilson has a cap hit of $11 million, and Winston is at $3 million.
In the end, the Bengals found one of the cheapest ones available. We’ll see how attaching themselves to a 40-year-old quarterback works out, starting on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, whom Flacco has already beaten this season.
Related: 1 Bold Prediction for Every Game in NFL Week 6
More must-reads:
