With one former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, it gets complicated in relation to the Pro Bowl. In most years past, the Pro Bowl might not have been the most physical game, but just being named to the game was an honor. 2026 has changed that.
Now, of course, instead of a game, NFL fans get "games." This is basically a series of drills and flag football that are even more meaningless than the game used to be. To make matters worse, the league appears to have given up on any kind of integrity involved in the event, too.
Due to injuries and one Super Bowl appearance, the group of AFC representatives, as far as quarterbacks go, dwindled greatly. The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen had foot surgery after the season was over, for instance, and the New England Patriots' Drake Maye is playing in the Super Bowl.
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco stunningly named to the 2026 Pro Bowl Games
To replace them, though, the NFL first made the decision to go with the Cleveland Browns' Shedeur Sanders and then the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco. Sanders has no business being in the Pro Bowl Games as he started just seven games, threw seven touchdown passes, had 10 passes intercepted, and his quarterback rating was an atrocious 68.1 (which ranked 41st).
To have Sanders play only feeds the circus that surrounds him. Deion Sanders, his famous father, had enough hype that it affected the NFL's logic in terms of having Deion's son involved in the All-Star game.
To be sure, Flacco, who played for the Colts in 2024, didn't deserve to make the Pro Bowl Games, either. He was back to being a backup on the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of the season. Still, he did start 10 games overall and tossed 15 TDs against 10 picks. He was solid, but far from great.
What gets complicated with Flacco is that his involvement in the Games makes some seasons. While he will never be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is 41 years old and has had an 18-year career that includes winning a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012.
While he has thrown for 48,712 yards and 272 touchdowns in his career, he had never been named to the Pro Bowl until this year. His inclusion in the Pro Bowl Games is more about a career award than how good he was in 2025. Flacco deserves that, and should he finally retire after this season, he can say he went out as a Pro Bowler.
Oddly, he and Shedeur Sanders both started the season with the terrible Cleveland Browns. Sanders replaced Flacco after the older quarterback was traded to the Bengals. Ultimately, that means four players who began the season for the 5-12 Browns made the Pro Bowl Games, one more than made it for the 8-9 Indianapolis Colts.