CINCINNATI — At first, Ja’Marr Chase thought it was a joke when he got a call from fellow Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins with the biggest news of the week.
But after a follow-up call from coach Zac Taylor, it was clear Higgins was serious. Cincinnati had indeed traded for Joe Flacco to be the team’s new starting quarterback.
The move comes amid the Bengals’ three-game losing streak and a stretch of ineffective offensive performances. With Jake Browning starting for the injured Joe Burrow, Cincinnati failed to muster more than three points in the first three quarters of each recent loss.
By trading for Flacco, Chase said it’s a sign of the belief the franchise still has for this season.
“They just see that we’ve got a chance,” Chase said on Thursday. “Defense is doing a good enough job to help us out. Our playmakers gotta make plays in space. That’s what they see. That’s what they want — is to keep going. They’re just giving us an opportunity to make more of those plays happen.”
Higgins said he was scrolling social media on Tuesday when he saw the news that Cincinnati was dealing a fifth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Flacco and a sixth-round draft pick. Both selections are for next year’s draft.
Like the bulk of the team born near the turn of the century, Chase and Higgins were still children when Flacco started his NFL career in 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens.
“I was messing with some of the guys; I was like, ‘He was in the league when we were getting in trouble for being outside with the streetlights on,” Higgins said at his locker on Thursday.
But both star receivers know what Flacco can bring to Cincinnati’s offense.
“The guy’s been doing this for a while,” Higgins said. “It doesn’t look like he took a step off with his arm. So it’s looking good.”
Since Flacco arrived in Cincinnati, the coaching staff has been spending as much time as possible to get the 40-year-old veteran up to speed. Flacco has the benefit of playing the Green Bay Packers, the team’s upcoming opponent, already this season.
Flacco’s lone win in four starts with the Browns this season was a Week 3 home victory against the Packers. Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP, was benched two weeks after that win. This season, he has two touchdowns and six interceptions.
Green Bay is a 14.5-point home favorite for Flacco’s debut with Cincinnati. As the former 2008 draft pick has prepared for taking over a new offense, Chase was impressed with Flacco’s demeanor.
“He comes in every day smiling,” Chase said. “Happy to be here, loves talking to the guys. He’s talking to everybody, to be honest, and that’s good to see.”
Toward the end of Thursday’s media availability, Flacco plopped down next to Browning to chat in the late afternoon. Flacco is scheduled to make his first public remarks after the trade following Friday’s practice.
Chase said there has been a lot of conversations with Flacco geared toward building rapport with the receivers and understanding how he sees the field and adjustments he wants to make.
In the past, Chase hasn’t been shy about being respectfully vocal if he feels he can be a bigger part of the offense. That isn’t going to change as the Bengals look for anything to jump-start their season.
“My fire ain’t going nowhere,” Chase said. “If I want to make a play, I’m going to ask for the ball.”