Joe Flacco’s resume already included a Super Bowl ring, a Super Bowl MVP, and nearly two decades as an NFL starter before the 2025 season began. What it did not include, until now, was a Pro Bowl appearance.
That changed when the Cincinnati Bengals announced that the 41-year-old had been named an AFC replacement quarterback for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games in Santa Clara. His selection, arriving late in an 18-year career and in a year with multiple high-profile quarterback alternatives, has prompted questions about how and why he ended up on this year’s roster.
Joe Flacco Earns First-Ever Pro Bowl Spot
The Bengals confirmed that Flacco was added to the AFC Pro Bowl Games roster as an alternate, marking his first Pro Bowl selection in his 18th NFL season. ESPN reported that Cincinnati announced the honor on Friday, with the appearance scheduled for the All-Star competition in Santa Clara on Tuesday after Super Bowl 60.
The veteran became one of 29 first-time Pro Bowlers this year, and per reports, no player has waited longer for a first selection.
Flacco opened the 2025 season as the Cleveland Browns’ starter but was benched after four games. On Oct. 7, he was traded to Cincinnati after Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury.
With the Bengals, Flacco stabilized the offense during the middle of the season, completing 61.7% of his passes and throwing 13 touchdowns to 4 interceptions over a productive stretch that ESPN described as one of his best runs in recent years. He finished the season having started for three of the four AFC North teams in his career.
Asked about the Pro Bowl call, Flacco said the invitation had always been in the back of his mind, even if it was never a primary goal. “[Bengals coach] Zac [Taylor] called me up, and he was trying to feel me out about it, and I said I’d be to it if it came up,” Flacco said before his first practice Monday morning.
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“I don’t think it’s a goal that you really think about at the forefront of your mind, but it was definitely something that you have in the back that you want to.” He added that the timing, with his children now old enough to appreciate the experience, made the selection especially meaningful.
Why Was Flacco Selected For the Pro Bowl Over Other QBs?
Flacco did not earn his Pro Bowl nod as an original ballot choice. Instead, he was part of a replacement chain after initial AFC selections could not participate. Patriots rookie Drake Maye is unavailable because he is playing in Super Bowl 60, while Josh Allen and Justin Herbert withdrew due to late-season injuries.
That opened three replacement spots, which went to Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders, Flacco, and Bengals starter Joe Burrow. Sanders was named first, Flacco second, and Burrow third.
Shedure Sanders telling Joe Flacco the plays. pic.twitter.com/ZCpQZDQvQL
— Saturday’s Tailgators🦬🏈 (@TraxinPower5) February 3, 2026
Statistically, the order has been called into question. Burrow finished 2025 with 1,809 passing yards in eight starts, a 5-3 record, 66.8% completion rate, 17 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, with a 100.7 passer rating. Flacco’s season line was 2,479 yards in 10 starts across 13 games, a 2-8 record, 60.3% completion rate, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 79.2 rating.
Sanders closed his rookie year with 1,400 yards, a 3-4 record, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, completing 56.6% of his passes. By those measures, Sporting News called it “bizarre” that Burrow was the last of the three to be named.
During his midseason run with the Bengals, Flacco matched Burrow’s expected points added per dropback at 0.11, according to ESPN Research, and posted a 54.7 Total QBR compared with Burrow’s 63.1. The PFSN NFL QB Impact Metrics ranked Flacco at No. 36 with a D+ grade.
Combined with his long tenure, Super Bowl 47 MVP award, and 209 career games, the Pro Bowl nod effectively serves as a capstone recognition, arriving only once replacement spots became available.
Flacco himself acknowledged that the AFC’s quarterback landscape during his prime, dominated by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, made Pro Bowl berths difficult to secure. “I always wanted to be one of those three guys that just gets elected,” Flacco said. “I try telling people, Tom and Peyton had those positions locked up, at least two of ’em, for the longest time.”
In 2025, with those names long gone from the ballot and multiple alternates needed, the veteran finally received that long-awaited call. His inclusion reflects both this season’s unique injury and Super Bowl context at the position and the league’s willingness to recognize a long, decorated career in a replacement slot.