The Bengals were in need of a new starting quarterback after Joe Burrow underwent surgery on his toe, putting him out for a few months. Cincinnati first relied on Jake Browning to replace Burrow, but Browning lost all three games he started. To fill the need at quarterback, the Bengals ultimately decided to trade with the Brown for veteran Joe Flacco.
When contemplating which quarterback to trade for, the Bengals front office and coach Zac Taylor compiled a list of 13 potential quarterback prospects, including Flacco, 's Albert Breer shared in a recent story. The team narrowed the list down to five players, although it's unknown who ended up on that final list.
Here's a look at the other 12 options that Cincinnati considered internally before the Flacco trade. It should be noted that there is a good chance that some of these players would not have been open to joining the Bengals.
Russell Wilson, Giants
The Giants quarterback is currently New York's backup after coach Brian Daboll benched him for Jaxson Dart ahead of Week 4. Dart will remain the starter for the foreseeable future.
Although Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Giants this past offseason, after he was benched, rumors quickly circulated that he could be traded elsewhere, with the Bengals popping up as one of the top options after Burrow's injury. But, Wilson has remained adamant that he wants to stay in New York and help the Giants as much as he can. And, for now, he will do just that.
Kirk Cousins, Falcons
Cousins's status in Atlanta has been up in the air since late last season when he was benched for rookie Michael Penix Jr., who is now the Falcons' starter. Cousins was the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but nothing came to fruition and he remains as the backup quarterback in Atlanta with no possibility of earning the starting role, barring a Penix injury.
There's still a chance Cousins could land somewhere else before the 2025 season ends, but Cincinnati was not the answer.
Derek Carr, Retired
After 11 seasons in the NFL, Carr shockingly retired from the league back in May as he was dealing with a shoulder injury that could've kept him out for the whole 2025 season. While it sounds like Carr's time on the NFL field is over, it wouldn't too surprising for Carr to come out of retirement—he didn't rule out the possibility on a recent radio appearance.
It's unknown whether the Bengals even reached out to Carr about a potential comeback, but it's interesting that his name was tossed out nonetheless.
Anthony Richardson, Colts
Richardson lost the Colts starting job to Daniel Jones this season, which has turned out to be a good decision for Indianapolis, but he's been seemingly weighing his options regarding a trade since becoming the team's backup. His agents reportedly talked with the Colts about a trade ahead of the season.
This past weekend, Richardson suffered an orbital fracture during warmups which landed him on the injured reserve list. The Bengals considered trading for Richardson before this injury occurred, though.
Jimmy Garoppolo, Rams
Garoppolo is the third quarterback on this list after Flacco and Wilson to have led their previous NFL team to a Super Bowl appearance. Garoppolo won two rings as Tom Brady's backup with the Patriots and reached the Super Bowl as the 49ers starter, before he settled in as a veteran backup. He now sits behind another Super Bowl champion quarterback, Matthew Stafford, on the Rams.
Although Garoppolo's only started in 17 games over the past three seasons (and only one last year for the Rams), the Bengals still considered seeing if he could pop off in Cincinnati.
Jameis Winston, Giants
Winston is the second Giants quarterback the Bengals considered after Wilson. The lovable quarterback currently sits as the third-string behind Dart and Wilson with no path to playing this season barring an emergency.
The Bengals got to see Winston in action last season as he stepped up as the Browns' starter when Deshaun Watson suffered an Achilles injury. He won just two games as a starter in Cleveland.
Tommy DeVito, Patriots
DeVito once brought life back into the Giants when he saw some starting time back in 2023. However, he lost all three games he started in last season in New York, and was waived by the Giants in August. He now sits as the Patriots' third-string quarterback behind Drake Maye and Josh Dobbs.
Although DeVito hasn't had recent success, he could've potentially brought a similar spark to Cincinnati as he did during his rookie year in New York.
Drew Lock, Seahawks
Lock currently sits as Sam Darnold's backup quarterback on the Seahawks after he was signed to a second stint in Seattle for the 2025 season.
There's definitely a trend on this list as Lock saw some starting time with the Giants last season, too. He only won one contest in New York, and he departed the organization after one year. It hasn't been the smoothest road for Lock in the NFL, but he will remain in Seattle instead of going somewhere new for now.
Stetson Bennett, Rams
The Rams' third-string quarterback would've been a risky choice as Bennett has yet to play a snap in the NFL during the regular season. He was drafted by Los Angeles back in 2023 as he was coming off two national titles with Georgia. However, he's hasn't had a great opportunity to show what he can do in the NFL, and would have been a real shot in the dark for Cincinnati.
Davis Mills, Texans
Mills remains as C.J. Stroud's backup quarterback on the Texans through the 2026 season after he signed an extension this offseason, and it looks like that will be where he stays for now. He was previously the Texans starter before the team drafted Stroud.
Tanner McKee, Eagles
McKee is in his second season backing up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. He has yet to play this season, but he is coming off a Super Bowl title with the Eagles. He started in one game last season and made a positive impact by beating the Giants.
Josh Johnson, Commanders
At age 38, Johnson's been all over the NFL. He's been a member of 14 NFL teams, which is a league record, including the Bengals in 2013 as the team's backup. He's only started in nine games since his career began in 2009 on the Buccaneers.
Johnson currently is the third-string quarterback in Washington. His age clearly wasn't a problem for Cincinnati, but they opted for a player with much more starting experience in Flacco.
