Joe Flacco makes first career Pro Bowl roster at 41 years old after starting 13 games for Browns and Bengals
Flacco's first Pro Bowl nod comes as a surprise in his 18th season
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There aren't many firsts left to attain for a 41-year-old quarterback like Joe Flacco, as he's garnered plenty of accolades in his 18 years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl. But there was hole left in his incredible resume: the Pro Bowl.
Flacco checked that box on Friday in a surprise after starting 13 games for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals in 2025.
Flacco's best years in Baltimore ran up against the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, who typically picked up Pro Bowl nods in the AFC. This year didn't figure to be the breakthrough for Flacco as a Pro Bowler, as he threw for 2,579 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 13 games in Cleveland and Cincinnati.
However, the injuries piled up in the AFC for quarterbacks this year. Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Drake Maye were all voted into the Pro Bowl, but Allen recently had foot surgery and Maye won't participate as he prepares for the Super Bowl. Those absences, coupled with further injuries to the likes of Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and others left the NFL digging a bit deeper to find alternates.
Shedeur Sanders, who eventually took over for Flacco in Cleveland, got the first alternate spot, and Flacco now joins the rookie he helped mentor with the Browns on the Pro Bowl roster. The fact that two of the quarterbacks that started games for a 5-12 Browns team that had serious offensive struggles this season are in the Pro Bowl is nothing short of astounding.
Jalen Hurts gets Pro Bowl nod in the NFC
The NFC will also have a pair of alternates joining the roster. The original selections were Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold and Dak Prescott, but with Darnold headed to the Super Bowl, Jared Goff got added to the roster and now Jalen Hurts has also been elevated to the Pro Bowl roster as an alternate.
Hurts threw for 3,225 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interception in the 2025 season, but the Eagles' offense disappointed for much of the year, particularly in their Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers, leading to turnover on the offensive staff. Philadelphia fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and recently hired Sean Mannion to take over that role in hopes he can bring more out of the passing game and Hurts.
Even with those struggles relative to expectation, Hurts picks up his third Pro Bowl nod.
