On Tuesday afternoon, the Cincinnati Bengals shook up the NFL world by making a trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco. The move, reported by NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, comes amid a turbulent stretch for both teams, with Cincinnati struggling mightily in the absence of Joe Burrow, and Cleveland recently benching Flacco for rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Needless to say, NFL fans on X, formerly Twitter, weighed in with a host of reactions to the news.
“Bros gonna be on like 30 teams,” joked one fan about Flacco, who has indeed bounced around the league in recent years.
“Bengals wasted a 5th on that? Lmao,” added another, referencing the price Cincinnati had to pay to bring in Flacco.
“Joe Flacco, throw it to Chase & Higgins,” advised former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, noting quarterback Jake Browning's struggles to get his two best receivers the ball.
Others were concerned that Flacco won't have much time to do so behind a putrid Cincinnati offensive line.
“Joe Flacco is 40 behind that Bengals OLine, they’re gonna turn him into a family man,” one fan wrote.
Overall, the Browns are clearly embracing youth at their quarterback position, with Gabriel now the starter moving forward and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders slotting into the backup quarterback position.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are desperately looking for someone to help them resurrect their offense in the wake of Joe Burrow's injury. Cincinnati is 0-3 since Burrow has been out of the lineup, but they still could theoretically make a push with better quarterback play considering they're just a game under the .500 mark. Flacco hasn't performed well so far this year, but it seems that the team is willing to take a chance on anyone other than Browning at this point.
In any case, the Bengals and Browns will match up again this season on January 4, giving Flacco an opportunity to face off against his old team and show them what they gave up.
