The Cincinnati Bengals signed Jake Browning to a two-year contract.
On Tuesday morning, Cincinnati announced a new deal for the quarterback who replaced an injured Joe Burrow last season. Browning was an exclusive rights free agent who played for the first time in 2023.
Browning joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2019, but he never made his way off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad. He spent two seasons on Cincinnati’s practice squad before winning the backup job last summer.
The Bengals turned to Browning when Burrow suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist on Nov. 16. He significantly exceeded all reasonable expectations.
Browning led all quarterbacks (minimum of 100 pass attempts) with a 70.4 completion percentage while submitting the sixth-highest quarterback rating (98.4). He cleared 300 passing yards in three of seven starts, four of which the Bengals won.
The unlikely breakout star quickly proved himself to be a worthy understudy when completing 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards in his second start, a 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Browning also scored one of his three rushing touchdowns during that Monday Night Football overtime triumph.
If he had accrued more than two years of NFL service time, Browning probably could have signed elsewhere to at least compete for a starting job in 2024. However, the Bengals held the 28-year-old’s exclusive rights, so he’ll return to sit behind Burrow.
Cincinnati also signed unrestricted free-agent quarterback Logan Woodside.