"To honor the number of sacks he'll take": NFL fans react to Joe Flacco's no. 16 jersey after QB's Bengals trade

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Wednesday that new acquisition Joe Flacco will wear the No. 16 jersey. The veteran quarterback was brought in by the franchise on Tuesday via a trade with the Cleveland Browns, where he started the first four games of the season.

Flacco is coming in to cover for the Bengals’ injured starter, Joe Burrow. The team has started Jake Browning at quarterback in the last three games, but he's struggled significantly in the role, with the team losing all of those games. This necessitated the need to bring in Flacco.

Joe Flacco has worn a host of jersey numbers in his NFL career across different destinations. He wore No. 5 with the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and New York Jets. He wore No. 19 in his return to the New York Jets before donning the No. 15 with the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts.

With the Bengals' No. 5 jersey currently being worn by Tee Higgins and No. 15 by Charlie Jones, Flacco opted for the No. 16 jersey. The jersey number was previously worn by wide receiver Trenton Irwin, from his arrival in 2019 and his departure at the end of last season.

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There's been a lot of reaction from NFL fans on the new jersey number of Joe Flacco with the Bengals. His acquisition itself has come as a surprise to many, coming just a few days after the Browns benched him for Dillon Gabriel.

Here's a look at some of the reactions online:

Bengals DC believes Joe Flacco still has it in him

The Cincinnati Bengals have had to face Joe Flacco this season. He was leading the Cleveland Browns offense when the two teams faced off in the season opener. Defensive coordinator Al Golden described what it looked like facing Flacco, noting he's still a quarterback who can make things happen.

"We were fortunate that we got two ricochets on the interceptions, but in terms of his ability not to throw the ball away, put the ball in bad spots, he didn't really put the ball in danger at all," Golden said. "I know we got pressure a couple of times and sacked him a couple of times, but I thought he managed the game really well. "His arm still scares you. He still has power in his arm. He can push the ball downfield."

Joe Flacco completed 31 of 45 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown for the Browns as the Bengals sealed a narrow 17-16 win at Huntington Bank Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. He might be leading the Bengals offense against the Browns when they meet again in January.

Edited by Farouk Yusuf