The new NFL year officially began at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, and just as it did, news broke of the Bucs’ next move in free agency. Although far from a splash signing, it was an important one as Tampa Bay found its new backup quarterback in Jake Browning. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that it’s a one-year deal between the Bucs and the former Bengals backup quarterback.

After throwing for 12,296 yards and 94 touchdowns to 34 interceptions over four seasons at the University of Washington, Browning signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He spent 2019 and 2020 on Minnesota’s practice squad, and then after he missed the 53-man roster again before the 2021 regular season, he signed with the Bengals’ practice squad.

For the first two years in Cincinnati, Browning remained on the practice squad. But in 2023, he beat out Trevor Siemian for the right to back up Joe Burrow. In his age-27 season, he would finally make his NFL regular season debut and wound up being one of the campaign’s success stories.

With Burrow sidelined, Browning played in nine games and started seven. He and the Bengals went 4-3 in those seven games and over the full nine games, he completed 70.4% of his passes for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

New Bucs QB Jake Browning and Bengals QB Joe Burrow – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Sam Greene

Browning appeared in three games in the 2024 season before once again having to play an extended role due to a Burrow injury in 2025. This stint was less impressive and wound up being short-lived, as he played in five games and started three, going 0-3 in the process. He completed 64.8% of his passes for 771 yards and six touchdowns to eight interceptions over five games and was eventually replaced by Joe Flacco while the team waited for Burrow to return.

For his career, Browning has played in 17 games with 10 starts and has completed 68.5% of his passes for 2,707 yards and 18 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. He also has 164 yards and four more touchdowns on the ground.

Now, after being Joe Burrow’s primary backup for the last three years, he comes to Tampa Bay to serve as the backup to Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Bucs Set Out To Address Their Backup QB Role This Offseason

The Bucs have been remarkably lucky in terms of quarterback health over the last seven seasons. In 2019, Jameis Winston played in and started all 16 games. From 2020 through 2022, Tom Brady didn’t miss a game. And since 2023, Baker Mayfield hasn’t missed a start either.

Bucs QBs Baker Mayfield and Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

But in 2025, Mayfield struggled through different injuries and saw his effectiveness disappear for stretches of the season due to those injuries. His backup was a veteran in Teddy Bridgewater, who certainly had the experience necessary to take over in the event that Mayfield was unable to suit up. But Mayfield powered through and never missed a start, and in the bit of time he did miss, Bridgewater didn’t look like a reliable option who could be relied upon for an extended period of time if necessary.

This, of course, came after the Bucs parted ways with 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask in favor of Bridgewater, who had just returned to the NFL after being suspended for a season from his position as the head football coach at Miami Northwestern High School. Tampa Bay felt like it was a win-now type of season and went with the longtime veteran in Bridgewater over Trask, who had seen very little action from 2022 through 2024.

So, heading into the 2026 offseason, it felt unlikely that Bridgewater would be back at age 33. And based on what head coach Todd Bowles said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, it was clear the Bucs felt like they needed to meaningfully address the backup role this spring.

“We feel like we need a backup quarterback,” Bowles said. “Obviously we’ve got to see what’s out there. There’s plenty out there right now and there are a lot of balls in the air. So we’ve just got to see how it unfolds.”

In the end, that meant going with Jake Browning, who is set to turn 30 in April. The addition helped the team get younger at backup quarterback while also ensuring that getting younger didn’t mean losing recent playing experience.

Jake Browning Is Yet Another Washington Product On Bucs’ Roster

The Bucs have drawn from the University of Washington several times throughout Jason Licht’s time as the team’s general manager, especially through the draft. And although some former Huskies have come and gone, there’s still a solid presence on the roster in Tampa Bay. Jake Browning is now the latest.

And as Fox Sports’ Greg Auman pointed out, Browning overlapped at Washington with both Vita Vea and Cade Otton. He spent three years as a teammate of Vea’s, and during his 2018 senior season, he threw three touchdowns to Otton, who was a redshirt freshman at the time.

With the addition of Browning, the Bucs now have him, Vea, Otton, Devin Culp and Jalen McMillan making up their Washington contingent in 2026.