Jake Browning is getting another chance against the franchise that once cut him.
With quarterback Joe Burrow sidelined for an estimated three months due to a turf toe injury, Browning will take the reins of the Bengals' offense for the second time in three years. He'll make his first start since Week 18 of the 2023 season on Sunday against the Vikings, who are starting their own backup Carson Wentz with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy out with an ankle injury.
Browning has a long history with the Vikings. He was signed by Minnesota as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2019 and spent two seasons on the practice squad, providing depth behind Kirk Cousins and Sean Mannion. Despite performing well in training camp and the preseason, the Vikings waived Browning in 2021, and he went on to sign with the Bengals.
Fast forward another two years, and Browning won the backup quarterback job behind Burrow in Cincinnati. He was forced into the starter role in Week 11 when Burrow went down with a season-ending wrist injury. After going 2-1 in his first three career starts, Browning had a revenge game to remember against Minnesota on Dec. 16, 2023.
With Cincinnati trailing 24-17 in crunch time, Browning led a game-tying 75-yard drive, capping it off with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 39 seconds left. And when the game went into overtime, Browning helped set up Evan McPherson's game-winning 29-yard field goal to secure a 27-24 victory.
After that game, a clip went viral of Browning emphatically slamming his helmet down on the Bengals' sideline and shouting, "You should have never f---ing cut me!"
A direct shot at the Vikings' front office.
Jake Browning the last time he played the Vikings
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) September 16, 2025
🐅 29/42
🐅 324 passing yards
🐅 2 TD
“Shoulda never f**king cut me!”
pic.twitter.com/wUm8nZTEFM
Browning went on to lead the Bengals to four wins in his seven starts.
Two years later, as his second stint as Cincinnati's backup plan under center begins Sunday against Minnesota, that clip began to recirculate on social media this week. But does he still feel the same about the organization?
"I think at some point you've got to move on," Browning said Wednesday [via The Enquirer]. "And I feel as though I've moved on from that. ... I think last time I got thrown in was, like I said, it had been awhile since I had played. It was my first real football game in like 4 1/2 years. And so I had to adjust to playing real football. And you can play in as many preseason games as you want, it's not the same. So it was a little bit more of let's figure this out as we go. I think now I know kind of things that I like and how I want to prepare and have that experience to draw back from. I think the big thing is just when I got thrown in there, I progressively got better. And I'm hoping to do the same thing by just having my routine throughout the week and focusing on the right things to make improvements that I need to."
The game between the Bengals and Vikings is set to kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Clip of Fired-Up Jake Browning Recirculates Ahead of Revenge Game Rematch vs. Vikings.
