Jake Browning, the quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals who was previously with the Minnesota Vikings, seems to be a resentful person.
On Saturday, December 16, the Bengals defeated the Vikings by a three-point margin in overtime. After joining the NFL in 2019, Browning spent a few years with the Vikings franchise before sending a message to his former team following the game.
Speaking with members of the media, Browning explained that message and his preparation for a vengeance game against Minnesota.
There was definitely a little extra. … I remember getting cut [by the Vikings] and just being told, “Hey, we might have a spot for you on practice squad. Go to the hotel and wait.”
So I sat in the hotel for a couple of hours, not knowing if I had a job or not, and then just basically got a call from my agent. They didn’t even tell me. Like, I had been there for two years. I’ve been cut my fair share of times, and that was probably the shittiest one.
Jake Browning Exacts Revenge on Vikings for Cutting Him
Browning downplayed the Vikings’ decision to cut him leading into the game during a press conference on December 12.
“There was two years there where they were the only team that wanted me,” Browning said. “I think there’s some appreciation from my time there, and it set me up to come into this building and do what I have been able to do the last couple of years.
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However, after leading the Bengals to victory, Browning admitted that what he said earlier in the week wasn’t exactly true.
“There was a little bit more this week,” the QB explained. “I know I denied it. And there’s some great people over there. It’s completely different, completely different coaching staff, and I want to emphasize there are some incredible people over there. But that one felt good.”
“I think right after we made the field goal to win the game, I screamed at a camera and said they never should have cut me,” Browning added.
Browning may not be wrong about Minnesota’s decision to cut him a couple years back, as the team has struggled to find a replacement for Kirk Cousins since he went down with a torn Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.
In the Vikings’ game against the Atlanta Falcons, rookie Jaren Hall was inactive due to a concussion, ending his playing career before the end of the quarter. After taking over, Josh Dobbs saw some early success, but he faltered as the squad managed to score only 30 points in his final 11 quarters in charge.
Nick Mullens, Minnesota’s fourth starting quarterback of the year, got the game started on Saturday. Although Mullens had his moments in Cincinnati, he mishandled the ball twice, once in the red zone and once when the Vikings were within striking distance of a field goal. In the fourth quarter, he also completed a pick-6 that could have tied the game in regulation if the officials hadn’t called it back after the Bengals were flagged for an offsides penalty.
