Bengals' Joe Flacco calls out NFL for new rules protecting QBs: 'We signed up to get hurt'

The Cincinnati Bengals sent four players to the Pro Bowl, with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and even backup QB Joe Flacco all making the Pro Bowl this season.

With the Super Bowl right around the corner, Flacco took to media row and hopped on Kevin Clark's podcast, "This is Football." There, he shared an interesting take.

Flacco called out the NFL for all of the rule changes to protect players, whether it's cornerbacks or receivers. It was a big rant, and he didn't hold back.

Joe Flacco calls out NFL for overprotecting QBs

"I don't think it should be roughing the passer when they land on us. I don't think being slapped on the head should be roughing the passer," Flacco said. "... It needs to get out of the game. It's football, we signed up to play it... We signed up to get concussions. We signed up to get hurt. It is what it is. You might not like that, but that's what we kind of did when we decided to play this game."

Flacco's stance on the league's handling of protecting players is a bold one. With the NFL focusing so much on trying to mitigate injuries by implementing these rules, the game is very different.

For most young players, even with Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen, they came into the NFL getting more protection than what Flacco got when he entered the league.

Flacco is a one-time Pro Bowler (2025) and a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. He's played in the NFL for 18 years and made his debut in 2008.

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He's seen plenty of football and has seen the change in the league first-hand. In his NFL career, Flacco has taken 422 sacks, and while he's taken a lot less recently, thanks to his more infrequent play, he was sacked plenty to begin his career.

Flacco has taken a beating in his career, and he's not a fan of how players nowadays are being protected too much.

While football is an inherently violent sport, and injuries are bound to happen, the league's attempt to cut down on injuries isn't a bad choice from the NFL.

Fewer injuries, by penalizing plays that cause those injuries, is a good thing. But, for Flacco and likely others, the soft nature of some of these penalties is too much.

Flacco is not a fan of how the game is played and officiated today. He's seen both sides of the coin, and prefers how it was back in the beginning of his career when players weren't protected like they are now.

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