Joe Flacco Talks Caddix Cleats Partnership, Revisits ‘Elite’ Debate Ahead of Bengals’ 2026 Season

Joe Flacco is entering his 19th NFL season this fall, and the résumé speaks for itself: a Super Bowl XLVII title, Super Bowl MVP honors, and a reputation as one of the most respected veteran arms in football. Now in his second year with the Cincinnati Bengals, the 40-year-old is still finding ways to stay ahead of the game — this time through a partnership with football cleat company Caddix.

Flacco sat down with ClutchPoints’ Rob Lepelstat for an exclusive interview covering the Caddix deal, Baltimore’s unforgettable 2012 title run, the long-running “Is Joe Flacco elite?” debate, his personal quarterback Mount Rushmore, and what he expects from the Bengals in 2026.

Why Flacco signed on with Caddix

Nearly two decades into his career, Flacco has worn just about every cleat on the market. That made his decision to partner with Caddix, a company built around SmartStud technology designed to cut down on the rotational forces linked to lower-body injuries, a deliberate one rather than a paycheck grab.

“I think we’re always kind of looking for new things to move the game forward,” Flacco said. “With the amount of games taking place on turf these days, I think this is an easy way to combat some of that stress that you deal with.”

Asked what separates Caddix from the cleats he’s worn throughout his career, Flacco pointed to the plate underfoot.

“What makes them different is the technology in the plate… the fact that these cleats give a little bit, it just reduces some of that stress and allows for a little bit of freedom when you’re contacting the ground.”

The partnership comes as Caddix expands well beyond direct-to-consumer sales. Ahead of the 2026 season, the brand moved into brick-and-mortar retail for the first time, landing placements in SCHEELS and DICK’S Sporting Goods, according to WWD, bringing the cleats to 17 stores across the two retailers in time for the fall sports season.

Revisiting Baltimore’s 2012 Super Bowl run

Flacco’s legacy will always trace back to one postseason. Baltimore’s 2012 playoff run still ranks among the best a quarterback has ever put together. The Ravens knocked off rookie Andrew Luck and the Colts in the wild-card round, then stunned Peyton Manning’s Broncos in double overtime before beating Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in Foxborough. San Francisco was next, and Baltimore closed it out to win the franchise’s second championship.

The numbers back up how dominant Flacco was. He threw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions across four playoff games, a feat matched at the time only by Joe Montana, and the performance earned him Super Bowl MVP, a stat line independently verified by ESPN’s coverage from that postseason.

More than a decade later, Flacco looked back on how effortless that stretch felt in the moment, and how much luck factors into a run like it.

“When you’re in that moment and when you’re winning those football games, there is a certain level of, ‘Man, this kind of feels easy. How come we don’t do this every year?'” Flacco said. “But there’s so many things that have to go your way—one bounce of the ball here or there, and it changes your whole season.”

The ‘Is Joe Flacco elite?’ debate, revisited

Few storylines followed Flacco longer than the question of whether he belonged in the NFL’s upper tier of quarterbacks. It dominated sports talk through the early 2010s and peaked right as Baltimore was winning it all. Flacco says he’s made peace with the fact that it still comes up.

“It’s amazing that that conversation is still, and that question is still getting brought up!” Flacco said. “But listen, I’ve learned to have fun with it. It’s all good… You know what I think. But that doesn’t really matter… I have my thoughts on why that is such a topic, even today, but I try to have as much fun with it as I can.”

Whatever the debate’s outcome, the Ravens’ front office answered it with money. Weeks after the Super Bowl, Flacco signed a six-year, $120.6 million contract that briefly made him the highest-paid player in NFL history, including $52 million guaranteed and a $29 million signing bonus.

Flacco’s Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks

Nearly 20 years in the league means Flacco has lined up against or alongside most of the sport’s modern greats. Asked to name his personal Mount Rushmore, he landed on four names: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino.

“When I was in high school, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were the guys… those are the guys that I was looking up to as a kid,” Flacco explained. “And then when I go back to like when I was a younger kid, the guys that I looked up to… were Montana and Marino… It’s so hard to come up with a list, there’s so many good guys out there… but there’s four guys that I would say I think pretty highly of.”

Flacco has plenty of firsthand history with Brady specifically, having faced New England in multiple high-stakes January games. Asked where Brady lands in the all-time debate, he didn’t hedge.

“He’s made it impossible to argue that he’s not… When you win seven Super Bowls and get to a handful more, and you’re in the AFC Championship year after year after year… I don’t care what the argument is against it, if you can come up with one… It’s so hard to be that consistent.”

Looking ahead to the Bengals’ 2026 season

Cincinnati enters 2026 with one of the more talented offensive cores in the league, anchored by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have had their share of slow starts and injury trouble in recent years, but the belief internally is that the roster can compete with the rest of the AFC’s contenders. Flacco’s role is less about snaps and more about experience in the room behind Burrow.

“It’s not quite the same buildup as it was 20 years ago when you had to get your mind right and just get ready for the long haul,” Flacco said. “I’m much more relaxed about heading back for training camp these days than I was 15, 20 years ago. But it’s always exciting! Just like all the fans out there, football is the sport here, and we all love it.”