{"id":815267,"date":"2026-03-16T11:30:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/815267\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T11:30:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:30:36","slug":"joe-flacco-linked-to-cincinnati-bengals-and-kansas-city-chiefs-as-premier-2026-free-agent-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/815267\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Flacco Linked to Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs as Premier 2026 Free Agent Option"},"content":{"rendered":"

AVANDATIMES.COM \u2013 The Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> are reportedly exploring further reinforcements for their quarterback depth chart, even after the recent acquisition of Josh Johnson to serve behind Joe Burrow<\/a>. While Johnson provides immediate stability, veteran Joe Flacco<\/a> remains a prominent figure in free agency discussions, with analysts pointing toward a potential return to the Queen City or a move to a high-profile AFC rival.<\/p>\n

Potential Landing Spots for the Veteran Signal-Caller<\/p>\n

According to analysis from Sports Illustrated\u2019s Eva Gatheim, the Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> stand out as the most logical destinations for the 41-year-old quarterback. Gatheim suggests that Flacco\u2019s experience makes him an invaluable asset for contenders looking to secure their backup positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cVeteran Joe Flacco remains a solid backup option for teams across the league,\u201d Gatheim wrote. \u201cThe Bengals could still use a backup outside of Josh Johnson, and the 41-year-old played well in relief of Joe Burrow last season and seemed to fit in well in Cincinnati. Given Burrow\u2019s injury history, a return makes sense for both sides. Alternatively, the Chiefs and Packers might be in need of a backup for Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love, particularly if they don\u2019t feel confident with their current options in Chris Oladokun and Desmond Ridder.\u201d<\/p>\n

AvandaTimes observed that the Bengals have kept the possibility of a reunion alive following Flacco\u2019s productive stint last season. During his nine appearances for Cincinnati, the veteran threw for 1,664 yards, recording 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions.<\/p>\n

Coaching Staff Perspectives and Market Dynamics<\/p>\n

The interest in Flacco is not merely speculative; it is backed by strong internal sentiment within the Bengals\u2019 coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher has previously expressed high regard for the veteran\u2019s presence in the locker room and his on-field intelligence.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the NFL Combine, Pitcher highlighted the unique value Flacco brings to a roster:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been one of my favorite guys to be around,\u201d Pitcher said about Flacco at the NFL Combine. \u201cI kidded him in our last discussion that he might be my last chance to coach somebody older than me. He laughed. I don\u2019t know if he was pissed or thought that was funny. He was awesome. Great guy to work with. He brought the perspective and ability that only 20 years in the NFL and 200-whatever starts can bring. There are not a lot of people walking the earth like that. We love Joe. I\u2019d love to have him back. He\u2019s going to make decisions that are best for him and his family. We\u2019ll see where it goes from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the 2026 free agency period progresses, Flacco\u2019s path remains uncertain. While he reportedly seeks a starting opportunity, the current market features other veteran options like Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins. With few clear starting vacancies available, particularly outside of the AFC North, Flacco may opt to wait for the right situation to emerge during the offseason program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AVANDATIMES.COM \u2013 The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly exploring further reinforcements for their quarterback depth chart, even after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":796672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2063],"tags":[346,256,7,1577,562,118,110,2438,2437,6,2592],"class_list":{"0":"post-815267","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","8":"tag-chiefs","9":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-joe-burrow","12":"tag-joe-flacco","13":"tag-kansas-city","14":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","15":"tag-kansascity","16":"tag-kansascitychiefs","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-nfl-free-agency"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116238629657814117","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=815267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/796672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=815267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=815267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=815267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}