Tomlin criticizes Browns' Flacco trade to Bengals

PITTSBURGH Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, criticized the Cleveland Browns on Monday for trading veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to AFC North rival Cincinnati last week, calling the move "shocking" and questioning why a team would send an opening-day starter to a division opponent. The comments came ahead of Thursday night's game between the Steelers and the Bengals in Cincinnati.

"To be honest, it was shocking to me," Tomlin said. "Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us, 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." Tomlin added the deal made sense from Cincinnati's perspective and described Flacco as a savvy player who could be more comfortable with additional time in the Bengals' offense.

Cleveland traded Flacco to the Bengals last Tuesday in a draft-pick exchange that sent an extra 2026 fifth-round pick to the Browns while Cincinnati received a 2026 sixth-round pick. The trade followed the Browns' decision to replace Flacco with rookie Dillon Gabriel, who started against the Steelers on...