Bengals QB Joe Flacco, 41, earns 1st Pro Bowl Games nod

Ben BabyJan 30, 2026, 03:04 PM ET

CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

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CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco was named as an AFC quarterback in this year’s Pro Bowl Games, the team announced Friday.

It’s the first time in Flacco’s 18-year career that he has been named a Pro Bowler.

Flacco, 41, earned the honor as an alternate ahead of the Pro Bowl competition in Santa Clara, California, next Tuesday. The achievement also bookends an improbable year for the veteran.

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At the beginning of the season, Flacco was the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. However, he was benched after four games. On Oct. 7, Flacco was traded to the Bengals, who needed a starter after Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury.

In the middle of the season, Flacco enjoyed one of his best spells in recent years. He completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,664 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He and Burrow finished the season with the same expected points added per dropback (0.11), according to ESPN Research. In Cincinnati, Flacco had a 54.7 QBR, compared with Burrow’s 63.1.

The Pro Bowl honor adds to the other accolades Flacco has earned in his career. He was named Super Bowl XLVII MVP as a member of the Ravens, starting 163 games for Baltimore from 2008 to 2018.

Since then, Flacco has been a viable starting option for several teams, including the Bengals. Once Burrow returned from injury, Flacco became the team’s backup.

Flacco is set to become a free agent this offseason. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he’s open to having Flacco back for 2026. But the veteran has expressed the desire to be a starter once again.

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