Flacco: NFL teams 'dumb' for not looking at me as QB1

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco doesn't sound happy about how NFL teams viewed him this offseason.

On Tuesday, Flacco signed a one-year deal to return to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he'll serve in a reserve role behind Joe Burrow. Although Flacco said he's content to reunite with Cincinnati, he added that he believes teams should've given him a chance to compete for a starting job in free agency.

"Believe me, I wish I was a guy somewhere," Flacco said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. "And I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy."

Flacco added: "Not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere, yeah, it pisses me off a little bit. But at the same time, I'm very happy to be here."

The 41-year-old began last season with the Cleveland Browns but was traded to the Bengals in October after Burrow suffered a toe injury. A former Super Bowl MVP, Flacco provided Cincinnati's offense with a spark by completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,664 yards and 13 touchdowns against four interceptions in six starts.

Multiple teams sought to boost their QB1 competition in the offseason. The Atlanta Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year contract, the Minnesota Vikings added Kyler Murray on a one-year deal, the Miami Dolphins gave Malik Willis a three-year pact, and the New York Jets traded for Geno Smith.

"I know enough not to get super tied up emotionally with certain things and how to think about how they might play out because you really have no idea," Flacco said. "And who knows what those teams were thinking anyway, whether I was on their radar or not. I have no idea."

He added: "Maybe part of that does still motivate me to do what I'm doing. I probably do feel that way. I feel like I have unfinished business."

Flacco has recorded 201 starts across 18 NFL seasons, spending most of his career with the Baltimore Ravens from 2008-18. The former first-round pick hasn't started at least 10 games in a campaign for the same team since 2017.