Former Head Coach Agrees With Steelers’ Mike Tomlin About AFC North Trade

Mike Tomlin wasn’t the only NFL head coach baffled by the Joe Flacco trade.

Earlier this month, the Cleveland Browns made a rare midseason trade within the division by sending Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. The veteran quarterback will make his second start for Cincinnati against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

Tomlin called the trade “shocking” when questioning Browns general manager Andrew Berry on Monday. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians also blasted the move during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“It’s total bull (expletive),” Arians said on Tuesday. “What are you thinking?”

The Browns received a 2026 fifth-round pick for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round draft choice. Arians would have looked beyond the AFC North even if it meant sacrificing an optimal trade return.

“First of all, Pittsburgh’s your big rival. Cincinnati’s your next biggest rival,” Arians added. “Why would you trade him to Cincinnati? If I’m gonna trade him. I may get a sixth-round pick from somewhere else, but I ain’t trading him within the division.”

Cincinnati’s offense was sputtering under Jake Browning after losing Joe Burrow to a turf toe injury. While the Bengals lost Flacco’s team debut last Sunday, the 40-year-old completed 15 of 20 targets to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for 156 yards and a touchdown.

Arians suggested that Tomlin would have much preferred to play the Bengals with Browning under center. The Steelers must now check Flacco to bolster their division lead on Thursday night.

“He does not want to see Joe and those receivers,” Arians claimed. “He was like, ‘(expletive). We had them right where we wanted them, and they go and trade this guy to our division rival?’ It makes no sense to me.”

Tomlin expressed that same sentiment when addressing the trade ahead of Pittsburgh’s Week 7 game at Paycor Stadium.

“Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us,” Tomlin said. “Because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area. But that’s just my personal feelings.”

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