Joe Flacco’s move from Cleveland to Cincinnati last season was already one of the stranger twists of the NFL year. Netflix’s third season of Quarterback just made the reaction behind it look even better.
When the Bengals traded for Flacco after Joe Burrow went down in Week 2 and Jake Browning wasn’t getting the job done, it sent a veteran quarterback from one AFC North team to another and put him in a starting role at Lambeau Field only days later. For a Cincinnati front office known for playing it safe, it was a sharp turn. But desperate times had clearly taken over.
The documentary shows Flacco missing the initial call from Browns GM Andrew Berry, then calling back and learning he was being dealt to Cincinnati. His response was immediate, and so was his wife’s, sitting beside him on the couch. Flacco then explained the moment to the Netflix cameras while packing up and getting ready to head south:
"Ultimately, you want to play, right? It's just crazy.
I mean definitely did not have this on the list of things to happen this year. I got the call today and I figured, ‘Oh shoot, I might be getting cut, who knows?’
Next thing you know, I’m taking a little drive south. You get to go play in the NFL, and like, just go have fun.
Sling it around and see what happens. And it's one of those moments where you do kind of get reminded, hey man, it's a game.
You’ve got to be able to roll with the punches. […] By 8:30 that night, I was sitting in Zac Taylor’s office, talking about what we were going to do against Green Bay that week."
For Flacco, the appeal was obvious. He had recently been benched in favor of rookie Taylor Gabriel, and the chance to throw to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins gave him a real shot to jump back in and help Cincinnati stay alive in the playoff race. Berry, it seems, was moving him out either way.
What followed was a strong stretch in Cincinnati. Flacco played well in his debut at Green Bay and kept rolling after that before a sprained AC joint in his shoulder slowed him down. Even then, he still managed to throw for 470 yards and four touchdowns against the Chicago Bears, who came within three points of the NFC championship game after all.
Once Burrow was healthy again from his turf toe injury, Flacco went back to the bench. He did enough last season, especially when healthy, to land elsewhere this offseason, but no team gave him that opportunity.
The Bengals still brought him back, though, re-signing a quarterback they know they can trust.
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