CINCINNATI — Joe Flacco is feeling good after a week off from game action. The Bengals’ starting quarterback got back home and was with his family for a few days as he keeps the seat warm for Joe Burrow’s eventual return.
Flacco dove into the impact of Burrow being back on the practice field in his Wednesday media session.
“It wasn’t like I was able to do a ton today and, like, kind of bounce things off of him and things like that,” Flacco said about today’s practice with Burrow, which Flacco did not throw in. “But I’m sure now that he’s actually on the field and we’re actually doing some more. I’m sure naturally more conversations would come up about game plan type stuff. But ultimately, I feel like it’s probably pretty similar to how it’s been.”
Flacco knows what he signed up for when he got traded to Cincinnati, and he’s not worried or upset one bit that Burrow will likely unseat him this season, given his rapid rehab process through the turf toe recovery.
The veteran is focused on beating the Steelers and getting this season back on track.
“No, not at all,” Flacco said about things being awkward this week amidst the Burrow fervor. “I have a job to do, and I’m focused on doing that job, and if that comes to an end at some point, like, you know, I just want to feel good about the job that I’m doing when I’m asked to do that job. So, no, not at all.”
Flacco has been a godsend for this offense, pacing for 5,329 passing yards, 51 total TDs, and nine INTs if he posted his Bengals numbers so far across a full season. The offense is obviously not an issue right now as the wily veteran hopes the defense can show some bit of life after the bye week.
They battle the Steelers Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Alex Bregman already is one of the most talked-about stars available in free agency right now.
This was the case before he even opted out of his deal with the Boston Red Sox and has only picked up steam since. He’s a star coming off his best season in a few years. Plus, he helped get one of baseball’s storied franchises back to the playoffs. It’s a perfect storm for free agency. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he has the most well-known agent out there in Scott Boras.
On Wednesday, Boras held a press conference where he discussed some of his clients. Unsurprisingly, Bregman was brought up and he had a clever coffee-themed response.
“I would certainly think that you know, like in Boston, we learned a lot about Bregman in 2025,” Boras said. “In Boston, prior to ’25, they had a lot of lineup do-not-holes and certainly, prior to ’25, Boston has been kind of a club that has been Dunkin’ well below the playoff line. I think it was a bad roast in Beantown. Give the owners credit, in ’25 they went out and spent some star-bucks to bring in a Bregman blend and got them to the playoffs. I’m sure Boston fans don’t want this to be just a cup of coffee. No one wants a Bregxit.”
All jokes aside, Boras isn’t wrong. Boston had a tough few years before bringing Bregman in. The Boston lineup was lefty-heavy and young and desperately needed a right-handed veteran with pop.
Bregman fit the description and more. The Red Sox handed him an aggressive $120 million deal for three seasons and really showed the league that they were willing to get back into the mix for star-level talent again.
Also, he’s not wrong about the fact that Boston fans likely don’t want the partnership to be short-lived. Now, it’s in the hands of the front office and agents. But, Boston made the right move by bringing Bregman in last offseason and it’s going to be a big topic over at least the next few weeks.