Revenge is a dished best served cold, like the blood that runs through the veins of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning.
Saturday was more than just a win for Browning, it was a statement made to the dismay of the Minnesota Vikings, the team that did him dirty over two years ago. Once the comeuppance was official in a 27-24 overtime victory, he wasted no time in delivering a message he so patiently waited to get off his chest.
"Right after we made the field goal to win the game, I screamed at a camera and said, ‘They never should have cut me!'”
There is no business that Browning won't stand on.
The cold business of the NFL was enacted at Browning's expense at the end of the 2021 offseason. Browning had been with Minnesota for two years and bounced on and off the roster—standard operations for an undrafted player. His final exit from the team, and the way it was carried out, has lived in his mind ever since. It made this week all the more significant.
“I remember getting cut there (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,’" Browning recalled to reporters after throwing for over 300 yards for the second time in three weeks. "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 sh*tt*est one.”
Browning's NFL future was only up in the air for so long before the Bengals swooped in and offered him a practice squad spot. He bided his time in Cincinnati, developing in silence behind the rapid growth of Joe Burrow and former backup Brandon Allen before earning the spot for himself this year.
Four weeks after he officially took over for the injured Burrow, the chance to further prove his worth against the team that ghosted him two years ago was at his doorstep. He understood the opportunity, even if he previously downplayed it.
“There was a little bit more to it this week," Browning admitted. "I know I denied it, and there are some great people over there. It’s a completely different coaching staff and everything—and I want to emphasize that there are some incredible people over there, but that one felt good.”
Damn straight it did. The Bengals currently hold the No. 6 seed before the rest of the AFC plays Sunday afternoon. They wouldn't be in this position if Browning folded against a familiar foe. He rose up to the challenge and got the last laugh.
If Browning ever gets cut by the Bengals, you can bet on him getting the call himself. That may not be for a long, long time at this point.
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