Jake Browning’s NFL story took a hard turn in Cincinnati, but it would be a mistake to treat that stretch as the final word on him.
That’s the tension now in Tampa Bay, where Browning has a chance to settle in as Baker Mayfield’s backup. Some are already ready to bury his career after what happened last season, but the full picture is a little messier than the ugly ending in Cincinnati suggests.
Browning’s 2023 run was no fluke. When Joe Burrow went down with a torn wrist ligament, Browning kept the Bengals afloat with a 4-3 record, a 70.4% completion rate and a 98.4 passer rating.
He wasn’t just surviving; he was giving Cincinnati real life. He even had the Bengals in position to stay in the playoff chase, and carried a lead into the fourth quarter at Kansas City late that season.
Then came 2025, and things unraveled fast. With Burrow sidelined again, Browning never found the same rhythm. He lost three straight starts, threw eight interceptions and got benched, opening the door for Cincinnati to trade for Joe Flacco, who was '23 Browning-esque and often better.
That downturn has fueled plenty of doubt, including some from outside Tampa. CBS Sports' John Breech and Emory Hunt ranked the 32 quarterback rooms in the NFL by conference and put the Buccaneers 15th out of 16 NFC teams. FanSided's Pewter Plank site expert, Josh Crysler, even questioned whether Browning is locked into the No. 2 job behind Mayfield.
"Browning isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be the backup quarterback. The Bucs are high on Connor Bazelak, who signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason and spent his rookie year on the practice squad. If he can show progress in his development, the team could be tempted to keep him around as their No. 2 option."
Not everyone is buying that read. Browning has already shown he can handle real NFL pressure, and he did it while Cincinnati’s season was hanging by a thread.
His rough finish in 2025 came with a lot on his shoulders, too. As he admitted, he tried to play hero ball and made some dumb mistakes.
That kind of gamble makes sense when a player knows a strong year could mean tens of millions of dollars.
There’s also a practical layer to all of this: if Flacco hadn’t played so well, the Bengals likely would have brought Browning back this offseason.
So while Tampa has Baker Mayfield in place for now, the situation isn’t exactly locked in stone. Mayfield is entering a contract year and has an uncertain future ahead.
If he gets banged up, as he often has in Tampa, Browning could get his chance. Maybe that doesn’t turn into a permanent takeover.
Maybe it doesn’t even become a starting job. But it would be a mistake to assume he can’t make the room interesting.
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