How Bengals' Jake Browning can seize QB1 job next year despite restricted status

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning enters Week 3 as a starter the first time since the second half of the 2023 season, and Sunday marks the beginning of a stretch that could alter the course of his life and career.

Browning played at a high level when he subbed in for Burrow the last time around, posting a 4-3 record with a 70.4% completion rate. The former undrafted free agent out of Washington has had to grind to stick in the NFL to put it mildly, enduring multiple cuts and unsteady job security at every turn.

Now, with Burrow sidelined again due to a turf toe injury, this is the ultimate opportunity for Browning to secure his status as a starting QB for now, in 2026, and beyond. Despite some restrictions that'll make it difficult to leave Cincinnati, here's what Browning's future could look like.

Jake Browning can make himself undeniable to QB-needy teams via strong starting sting with Bengals

If you've read this space in recent months, you'll know I'm not a fan of how the Bengals' front office handles their critical player contracts for the most part. They've low-key dished out raw deal after raw deal to Browning at every single turn.

Because of Browning's perpetually precarious NFL status as a journeyman who'd been cut multiple times, Cincinnati capitalized on that leverage to "reward" him with an exclusive rights free-agent contract of two years and a whopping total of $1.945 million.

Now granted, that's more money than Browning ever saw in the NFL, yet it's such an insult relative to the rest of the league.

Want to know who's making more money than Browning this season, despite the fact that he's played at a higher level as a starter than any one of these dudes and it ain't close? If you don't want to know, too bad. Here we go.

Backup QBs who make more than Jake Browning in 2025: Mitchell Trubisky, Drew Lock, Trey Lance, Kyle Allen, and even a bunch of other no-names still on rookie contracts as later-round draft picks.

So for all the storms Browning has weathered and the odds he's defied to reach this point, make no mistake: There is serious money at stake beginning on Sunday in Minneapolis.

If Browning plays anywhere near the level he did in 2023, he should command interest as a QB1 this offseason. The issue is, the Bengals have first dibs on him as a restricted free agent. NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport explained the situation well in his piece from this morning:

"At 29 years old, despite signing as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 draft, he's only now nearly eligible to be a restricted free agent. Browning will be an RFA after this season, and he'll have his first opportunity to sign a lucrative contract, giving Cincy an interesting decision. The options will be to give him an original-round tender (worth about $3.4 million this year), a second-round tender ($5.33 million) or a first-round tender (worth $7.5 million). If another team signs him away, the Bengals would receive a draft pick at the level of the compensation."

Arch Manning's early struggles have taken some of the hype out of the 2026 NFL Draft QB class. This past offseason, I thought the Tennessee Titans, led by ex-Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, might consider trading for Browning and drafting someone else No. 1 overall. Cam Ward was an awesome prospect, though, so I see why the Titans couldn't pass him up.

In any event, the long story short of it is, Cincinnati has held Browning hostage to some degree. He'd have no chance to see the field as long as Burrow is healthy, yet I'd consider him better than at least a handful of starting QBs around the league, if not far more. Heck, Rich Eisen was willing to go as far as to say Browning is better than a full third of QB1s.

The draft is a total lottery, especially drafting quarterbacks. Browning has already proven he can play at a beyond-competent starter's level. If the Bengals want to keep him as an insurance policy, they may need to exercise that first-round RFA tender. And even then, Browning will be making about seven times what he is now, and that'll be some justice.

If I were Jake Browning, though, I'd do everything I could to get out of Cincinnati. That starts with helping the Bengals stay in the playoff hunt for the rest of 2025. And guess what? It just so happens to be another revenge game against an opponent who waived him three times.

Browning's inner dawg is about to be unleashed on Sunday.

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