If we flash back almost two months ago, the Cleveland Browns were struggling mightily with no sense of direction at the quarterback position and the Cincinnati Bengals were looking for any sign of hope for the most important position, with Joe Burrow hurt and Jake Browning playing poorly. The Browns had already replaced veteran starter Joe Flacco with rookie Dillon Gabriel, with many wondering what Flacco’s future would hold.

The idea that Cleveland could receive any compensation for a quarterback that seemed to get very little interest in NFL free agency was received with skepticism, but Cincinnati came calling for Flacco.

The compensation wasn’t much (moving up one round in the 2026 NFL draft), but trading within the AFC North, especially at the quarterback position, raised some eyebro

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