The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off the most surprising trade of the season Tuesday when they acquired Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns.
After watching Jake Browning struggle through three starts, the Bengals knew they had to make a move at quarterback if they wanted to save their season, and that’s how they ended up with Flacco. However, the former Browns quarterback wasn’t the only QB targeted during their search.
In fact, the Bengals made quite a few phone calls in the 24 hours after their Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions, according to NFL Media.
“This trade was the result of an exhaustive search,” Ian Rapoport said. “Essentially what they did in canvassing the league was call every team that had three quarterbacks or a viable practice squad option.”
‘It took us by surprise’: Inside the Browns, Bengals and Packers’ reaction to the Joe Flacco trade
John Breech
The Bengals were so desperate for help that they actually called to check in on one quarterback who’s actually retired, and that’s four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr. The 34-year-old announced his retirement back in May, but he left the door slightly open for a possible return if he found the right situation. Although Carr is retired, he’s still under contract with the Saints, so if the Bengals wanted to add him, they would have had to make a deal with New Orleans. Any possible trade for Carr would have been difficult to pull off from a financial standpoint for New Orleans because the team restructured his contract in March. Also, Carr has been dealing with a shoulder injury and it’s unclear if he even would have been healthy enough to play.
Besides Carr, there were several other notable names the Bengals inquired about, including Houston’s Davis Mills and Philadelphia’s Sam Howell. There were also a few notable names the Bengals did NOT attempt to trade for, including Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
In the end, the Bengals decided to make a trade for Flacco, who will be their starting quarterback Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The biggest upside with Flacco is that he has a long history of quickly stepping in, and that’s exactly what the Bengals need right now. The incoming quarterback was only going to have four days of preparation for Cincinnati’s Week 6 game in Green Bay, and the Bengals thought they could quickly get Flacco up to speed.
When Flacco takes the field Sunday, he’ll attempt to become the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to beat the same opponent twice in one season, but with two different teams. During his short time with the Browns this year, Flacco beat the Packers, 13-10, back in Week 3.