The Tampa Bay Buccaneers swap quarterbacks, adding Bengals backup Jake Browning.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quickly found a replacement after losing backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, bringing in Jake Browning from the Cincinnati Bengals on a one-year deal.
Bridgewater agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions on Wednesday, the first day of free agency. The 33-year-old will back up Jared Goff.
Browning steps into his new role as the Bucs backup after three seasons with the Bengals. Browning saw major action in two of those seasons, with 2023 being his most impressive.
The Washington product filled in during Joe Burrow's injury absences, throwing for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns. Browning led the Bengals to a 4-5 record over his nine-game stint, throwing for over 300 yards three times.
Browning's best game as a pro came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for 354 yards and a touchdown while completing 32 of 37 pass attempts. He also flashed his athletic ability, scampering for an additional 22 yards and a touchdown.
This game sparked a three-game win streak for the Bengals, where Browning threw for 953 yards and accounted for seven total scores.
In the last of these three victories, a 27-24 overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings, Browning went viral for his postgame remarks.
"They should have never cut me," Browning said of the Vikings, who had signed the undrafted free agent to their practice squad in 2019.
Between 2019 and 2021, Minnesota waived him and re-signed him three times before letting him go during final roster cuts.
A practice squad player for the Bengals for two years, Browning worked his way up the depth chart to backup in 2023.
Browning was much more limited in 2025, starting just four games. He managed to beat the Jaguars once again, but lost his other three starts, throwing for just six touchdowns against eight interceptions.
However, Browning has shown the ability to step in and produce as a backup, providing the Bucs and Mayfield with a solid depth option if something should go wrong.
On a one-year, veterans-minimum contract in 2025, Bridgewater saw limited action for the Bucs, playing meaningful snaps in just one game this past season.
After Bucs starter Baker Mayfield was injured in the Buccaneers' 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Bridgewater stepped in, completing eight of 15 passes attempts for 62 yards and adding a carry for an additional six.
Prior to earning the backup role, Bridgewater was serving as head coach at Miami Northwestern High School and led the Bulls to a Class 3A Florida State Championship in his only season at his alma mater. He had retired from the NFL in 2023.
However, following the 2024 season, Miami Northwestern suspended Bridgewater, alleging he'd provided impermissible benefits to his players, according to ESPN.
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