Joe Flacco, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, suddenly found his name linked to the New York Giants after Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ starting quarterback, suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for the rest of the 2026 regular season. The speculation also carried an obvious connection because Giants head coach John Harbaugh coached Flacco for 11 seasons in Baltimore.
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Speaking with Cincinnati Enquirer Bengals beat reporter Kelsey Conway on Thursday, Flacco addressed the speculation directly and made it clear that he does not believe anything involving a move to New York is actually happening.
“I just get a kick out of it,” Flacco said during the interview. “I mean, because the stuff happened yesterday, but it’s obviously not real and not true. But it was good enough to get people, like certain friends of mine and things like that, to get them to text me, ‘Hey, I’ll see you in New York.’ And I was like, ‘No, guys, you won’t; you know that’s not true.’ I kind of just get a little bit of a kick out of it. I haven’t really given it too much thought at this point.”
The Giants have confirmed that Dart will miss the remainder of the regular season, with Jameis Winston taking over as the starter. Harbaugh has also acknowledged that New York is keeping its options open, including the possibility of adding another quarterback through a trade. That immediately put Flacco into the social-media rumor cycle.
The rumors gained traction because Flacco is currently behind Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. The Bengals acquired him from the Cleveland Browns last year after Burrow’s injury, and Flacco eventually returned to Cincinnati on a new deal for the 2026 season. He backed up Burrow during the time he was away dealing with a turf toe.
Flacco and Harbaugh also have plenty of history. Baltimore hired Harbaugh in 2008, the same year the Ravens drafted Flacco, and the two spent more than a decade together. In that time, the duo was able to bring home a Super Bowl victory, with Flacco also winning Super Bowl MVP honors.
The veteran quarterback, aged 41, also visited the Giants last year when he became a free agent, but signed with the Cleveland Browns before eventually being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, Flacco stressed that his attention remains with Cincinnati rather than the speculation surrounding New York.
“It’s not up to me. I’m on the Cincinnati Bengals, and because of that, that’s my focus, is just being here, and doing the things I need to do to get better each day while I’m here. … I’m a Cincinnati Bengal and I’m doing everything I can to get ready for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Flacco also acknowledged that trades can happen without much warning. He was traded from Cleveland to Cincinnati last season and said he had no idea that move was coming. However, it was a troubling time for him at Cleveland, having gone 1-3 as a starter in 2025.
But when Conway asked whether he had any reason to believe another trade was coming, his answer was straightforward:
“I have no reason to believe that. No.”
Flacco is not the only name being floated around. CBS Sports has also linked the Giants to Tyler Huntley, Justin Fields, Mitchell Trubisky, and Anthony Richardson, while Mac Jones and J.J. McCarthy have emerged as other possibilities. With Harbaugh leaving every avenue open, New York still has several paths to fill the gap.