Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) prepares to take the snap in the first quarter of a Week 15 NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK.
You’d think he’d be happy where he’s at, able to lead a Cincinnati Bengals franchise to the playoffs without Joe Burrow.
But instead, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jake Browning is focusing on his old team.
Browning led Cincinnati past the Vikings on Saturday, securing a 27-24 comeback victory after Minnesota coughed away a 17-3 4th Quarter lead. The Bengals and Browning struggled early in the contest but flipped a switch in the final period and toppled Minnesota to hit an 8-6 record.
And once the win was locked in, a defiant Browning screamed at a camera, chiding the Vikings for releasing him in 2021. Yes, over two years ago.
“Should have never f–king cut me,” Browning raged at a Paycor Stadium cameraman.
When Browning was let go, Kirk Cousins was the Vikings’ QB1, with Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion acting as backups. It is unclear if Browning thought Minnesota should promote him to QB1 over Cousins or if he was mad that Mond and Mannion got QB2 or QB3 nods.
Browning, without the conniption, elaborated later, “There was definitely a little extra part to this game. I remember getting cut there by Minnesota the last time and just being told, ‘Hey, we might have a spot for you on the practice squad. Go to the hotel and wait.'”
It’s also worth noting that the folks Browning bemoaned — Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer — no longer work for the Vikings. Browning evidently used the Vikings as a symbol of his wrath because the culprits have zero affiliation with the club.
“So, I sat in the hotel for a couple of hours, not knowing if I had a job or not, and just basically got a call from my agent. They didn’t tell me. I had been there for two years. I’ve been cut my fair share of times, and that was probably the crappiest one,” Browning continued.
Browning’s Bengals now have a 41.3% probability of reaching the postseason, according to ESPN. Minnesota has a 49.2% chance.
“That one felt good,” Browning concluded.
If Mike Zimmer had never been fired, and Rick Spielman had never been canned, and if Kellen Mond had not been drafted, and if the Vikings didn’t trade for Nick Mullens in 2022, and if Joshua Dobbs did get added this year, if Minnesota never drafted Jaren Hall, and then Kirk Cousins still got injured — perhaps the Vikings could’ve kept Browning, allowing him to start for Minnesota this season. Those elements would’ve been necessary for Browning to stay with the Vikings and materialize into a QB1 job.
Otherwise, Browning is in a favorable spot now, precisely because the Vikings dropped him into the free-agent pool 28 months ago.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.