Joe Flacco isn't done just yet.
On Tuesday, the veteran quarterback agreed to a new one-year deal with the Bengals, with whom the 41-year-old signal caller spent the majority of the 2025 season. It's a $6 million contract but could be worth up to $9 million with incentives, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
On Wednesday, Flacco then showed up at Paycor Stadium to put pen to paper.
"I think a lot of things play out throughout the course of an offseason," Flacco told reporters of his decision to re-sign, "but ultimately, you just remember the players on the team and the coaches and the staff and just the thoughts you had hanging out with all these guys. I just enjoyed being here and felt like it was a good fit, and feel like I can help this team in any role possible."
The QB also cited a winning culture, a winning football team and the team's interest in bringing him back as fuel behind the signing.
The 2026 campaign will be Flacco's 19th season in the league, during which he will be backing up Joe Burrow. Notably, the free agent vet was initially hoping to find himself a starting job, but wasn't able to work out the right fit.
"I felt like I had to be careful with some certain decisions. I don't want to be in another situation where I'm going and playing four games like I did last year in Cleveland," he added, per Bengals.com. "I was a little bit nervous about that for whatever reason, and kind of getting thrown under the bus. I think there was a time to be that guy, but I don't know if I was willing to do that. It just felt right in the gut."
As for why, his gut felt that way about Cincinnati, well, there were plenty of reasons.
"When you look at a backup position, it was a little bit of everything. Coaches, players, specifically receivers, but not just them," he said. "I had such a good time with everybody on the team. Plus, [coach Zac Taylor] and [QB coach Brad Kragthorpe] and [OC Dan Pitcher]. Those guys were all positive thoughts when I was thinking about going back. It's not just one thing, as always. It was the overall experience and the overall building."
As mentioned, Flacco had himself a very interesting 2025. He began the year in Cleveland, for whom he played in 2023, as well, and won the starting job in a competition between himself, Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Four games into the season, however, he was traded to the Bengals, where he was tasked with keeping their season alive long enough for Burrow to return from a turf toe injury.
In the end, the team did not make the playoffs and went 1-5 in the six games Flacco started. But he did play a lot better than those stats would suggest; in that span, he threw for the NFL's third-most touchdown passes (13) and the fifth-most yards (1,664). In one game on Nov. 2 (a loss to the Bears), he threw for a career-best 470 yards.
He also very openly enjoyed throwing to star Bengals receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which could have played a part in his decision to return. At the end of the 2025 season, he even gifted both players signed jerseys, which they requested.
"I know I'm 40 years old, but the first couple times I threw to Ja'Marr and Tee, I was a little bit nervous," Flacco admitted on the Fitz & Whit podcast in October 2025. "I'm like, man, I want them to know ... I want to hit these guys, I want them to know I can put some nice touch on it, I can put it where you want it. I overthought it, for sure."
When news broke that the Bengals were re-signing Flacco, Higgins reacted with a short but sweet note on X (formerly Twitter).
— Tee Higgins⁵ (@teehiggins5) March 24, 2026
All that to say—it would seem both sides are thrilled about this reunion. Because whatever happens with Burrow's health next season, the team can rest easy knowing they've got a great option to right the ship waiting in the wings.
"I feel like I have unfinished business," Flacco admitted to the media on Wednesday. "That's part of why I'm still here and playing and doing all those things. And not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere? Yeah, it pisses me off a little bit. But, at the same time, I'm very happy to be here."
More NFL from Sports Illustrated
- 2026 NFC Team Free Agency Team Grades: Rams, 49ers Could Dethrone Seahawks
- Bill Belichick Had Very Predictable First Statement About Hall of Fame Snub
- UFL vs. NFL Rules: How the Games Differ As 2026 United Football League Season Begins
- What Is a Fifth-Year Option in the NFL? Explaining Why Teams Do, or Don't, Exercise It
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Joe Flacco Is Re-Signing With the Bengals.
