Cincinnati — Jake Browning will return to the Bengals next season, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
With Joe Burrow out, the 27-year-old led Cincinnati to a 4-3 record in the final stretch. He completed 70.4% of his throws, totaling 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
“I feel like I’m one of the top 32 quarterbacks in the world, and I just so happen to be on a roster with a guy who’s proven that he’s a top five quarterback in the world,” he added. “I don’t know what that will look like in the future, and I have no control over it. So, I’m not going to think about it too much.
Most of the time, they’ll be hired as backups, wearing a baseball cap and observing from the sidelines for a season or two. They’ll be in for a mop-up series or a spot start as an injury replacement, and they’ll be able to tell their golf mates for the rest of their lives about how Aaron Donald sacked them or Jalen Ramsey intercepted them. Overall, it’s a decent way to end a football career.
Jake Browning appeared to be firmly committed to this route. He went on to have a successful career at Washington after being a high school star in Folsom, California, where he threw a record 91 touchdowns his senior year and 229 touchdowns overall. 2016 Offensive Player of the Year
He signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and spent the majority of his two seasons on the team’s practice squad.
Minnesota terminated Browning’s contract in September 2021, and he addressed the possibility of his career ending in a touching Instagram post. “So, now what?” he wrote. “Right now, my objective is to find a volunteer coaching position and keep in shape in case I get a call for a tryout anywhere. There is always the possibility of a comeback, but I don’t want to let that stop me from living my life.
