Teams regularly come to extension agreements with players to replace RFA tender numbers; the Bengals will move forward on this front with Jake Browning a year early.
Cincinnati’s backup quarterback agreed to terms on a two-year extension. Browning was tied to an ERFA tender. The team has announced the extension, one that could ensure the status quo remains on the Cincy QB depth chart for the foreseeable future.
This deal keeps Browning on track for unrestricted free agency in 2026, but the Bengals will bypass the RFA process next year and have him locked down until then. This marks a notable commitment from the team for Browning, who had been the team’s third-stringer prior to Brandon Allen‘s 2023 exit. Joe Burrow‘s season-ending wrist injury last year elevated Browning’s profile.
While Browning’s near-half-season sample represents a notable caveat, the former UDFA leading the NFL in completion percentage (70.4) during a season in which he averaged eight yards per attempt certainly impressed given his profile. Browning, 28, had been with the Bengals since September 2021. The Vikings waived Browning — a transaction he memorably reminded the NFC North team of after Cincinnati’s last-second win over Minnesota late last season — to set up his relocation.
Browning was ultimately unable to keep the Bengals afloat in the playoff race, but the team’s fortunes did not completely crater post-Burrow. The Bengals had already dug themselves an early hole, with Burrow’s training camp calf injury proving an impediment once the season started. The Bengals won three of Browning’s first four starts, including a 34-31 overtime win over the Jaguars that featured a 354-yard showing from the visitors’ backup QB. Browning then added 275 yards and two touchdown passes in a 34-14 win over the Colts the next week. Although the Bengals stumbled down the stretch, they saw encouraging signs from their low-cost backup during Burrow’s absence.
In addition to Browning’s new terms, the Bengals signed Logan Woodside on Tuesday. This marks a reunion for Woodside, who entered the NFL as a Bengals draft choice back in 2018. Considering Zac Taylor was not yet with the team when that selection occurred, this is an interesting addition. Woodside, 29, steps in as Cincy’s third QB. New OC Dan Pitcher, however, was with the Bengals during Woodside’s 2018 cameo.
Woodside’s initial Bengals stay proved short-lived; Marvin Lewis‘ team waived him in September 2018. The Toledo alum caught on with the Titans soon after and ended up staying with Tennessee until December 2022, when the Falcons — and ex-Titans OC Arthur Smith — added him to their active roster. Woodside has never made an NFL start, totaling 14 pass attempts, but brings considerable experience for a potential third-string role.