Joe Flacco calls out ‘dumb’ teams for not making him an NFL starter
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Joe Flacco may be 41 years old, but he still thinks he’s got plenty left in the tank.
The Super Bowl XLVII champion signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals to be Joe Burrow’s backup, but he wants much more than that.
“Not being one of those guys that’s going to go out and sign somewhere, yeah, that frustrates me a little bit,” Flacco said.
Joe Flacco of the Cincinnati Bengals throws a pass to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter of the game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 16, 2025. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
He then added a breakaway shot against nearly every team in the league.
“And believe me, I wish I was that guy somewhere, and I think teams are stupid for not letting me be that guy,” he said.
Flacco started for the Cleveland Browns last season and was their Week 1 starting quarterback, but with two rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on the wing, the writing was on the wall.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before his game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Mark Konezny/Imagn Images)
After Burrow suffered a serious toe injury, Cleveland traded him to Cincinnati and found some success. Flacco played well despite going 1-5 as a starter with the Bengals. He threw for at least 200 yards in four of his six starts, and the Bengals’ offense averaged more than 27 points per game.
But his success was a good consolation prize despite his desire to be the starter.
“I feel like I have unfinished business. That’s part of the reason I’m here and still playing and doing all this…” he said. “I had a lot of fun with Joe, and Joe is that guy.”
Flacco, who won the Super Bowl MVP with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 season, played for the Broncos, Jets, Eagles, Jets again, Browns again, Colts, Browns and Bengals.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) throws a pass to the Chicago Bears in the second quarter at Paycor Stadium on November 2, 2025. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)
He threw for 48,176 yards, 272 touchdowns and 172 interceptions in 19 seasons. He went 10-6 in the playoffs with 3,530 yards passing, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports streaming on Xand subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
