The Cincinnati Bengals have a very talented team and a front office that seemingly believes in them. That’s why the Bengals traded for Joe Flacco after Joe Burrow’s injury last season. If the front office didn’t believe in the team, they would have rolled over and died. But they went out and got Flacco to right the ship until Burrow returned.

It didn’t work out the way the front office and fanbase would have wanted, but it still seems like they made the right move. Now the Bengals are set to lose Flacco in free agency and it shouldn’t come as a shock to any of the fans when he signs elsewhere.

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports recently predicted the Bengals would lose Flacco. He has Flacco signing an $8.5 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Joe Flacco Likely Leaving Bengals in Free Agency

“Joe Flacco helped keep the Bengals’ offense afloat, for the most part, when Joe Burrow was sidelined with a turf toe injury in 2026,” Podell wrote. “He helped Ja’Marr Chase set Cincinnati’s single-game catches record, connecting with him 16 times for 161 yards and a touchdown on 23 targets in a 33-31 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Flacco doesn’t have a lot of gas left in his tank at 41 years old, but he could be a solid spot starter on a team with weapons like he was last year.

“The Atlanta Falcons fit that criteria with 2025 first-team All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, 2025 second-team All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts (set to be franchise-tagged) and former top 10 pick wide receiver Drake London. Plus, Flacco already knows new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski’s playbook from his multiple tours of duty with him on the Cleveland Browns. With Michael Penix Jr. suffering a torn ACL in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, he might not be ready to start the 2026 season.”

If there weren’t so many teams around the NFL that needed starting quarterbacks, the Bengals would have a better shot of retaining Flacco to be Joe Burrow’s backup. There are so many murky quarterback situations around the league that would probably love to have a stable veteran like Flacco on their roster.

The Falcons are expected to cut ties with Kirk Cousins in the coming weeks. Pair that with the fact that Penix Jr. has looked mediocre at best and there’s certainly a chance the Falcons would want to take a shot on Flacco.

Flacco would likely fill Cousins’ role on the team for much cheaper. This would give the team some stability if Penix struggles, without breaking the bank.