It's been a long time since Jake Browning was under center at Husky Stadium. With the excellence of the Michael Penix Jr. led Washington Huskies dominating most of our memories in recent years, it's easy to look pass the fact that Browning is Washington's all-time passing leader, and led UW to its first College Football Playoff appearance in the 2016 season.
For a university that has produced NFL greats like Warren Moon, Mark Brunell, and now Penix, potentially - it's actually Browning who sits on the throne at "Quarterback U". He started all 53 games he played in at Washington, leading the Huskies to 39-14 record with 12,296 passing yards.
Never really touted as an NFL draft prospect, Browning went undrafted in 2019 and spent three seasons in and out of the Minnesota Vikings organization, before landing with the Cincinnati Bengals as a backup to superstar Joe Burrow. Browning got his first taste of NFL action during the 2023 season, filling in for an injured Burrow to go 4-3 as a starter and leading the league in completion percentage.
Proving himself as a serviceable backup, Browning was once again thrown into the fire in Week 2 this past Sunday after Burrow went down with a turf toe injury. Coming into the game early in the second quarter down 14-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Browning led his team to a come-from-behind win on short notice.
Browning threw two touchdowns, both of them absolute dimes, and 241 passing yards to grind out a 31-27 victory. He did get some help from his defense, as they weathered the storm that was caused by the three interceptions he threw. Still, Browning maintained his composure like a veteran to pull away victorious.
With Burrow expected to miss games until at least mid-December, Browning is now presented with the biggest opportunity of his NFL career to lead a 2-0 Bengals team to the promise land. Many fans/analysts are skeptical, and are even calling for Cincinnati to go get another quarterback, but others believe Browning's more than capable of holding down the fort until Burrow returns:
For anyone concerned about Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in the wake of Joe Burrow's injury, here's Jake Browning's 17-game pace from his seven starts as a rookie.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) September 16, 2025
- 71.5% completion
- 4,537 yards
- 27 TDs
- 8 INTs
They should be fine.
Browning most recently returned to Montlake to sound the siren before Washington's first game of the 2025 season. Whether Browning's juices rubbed off on the now 2-0 Huskies, or vice versa, it's safe to say Dawg fans should be optimistic about their current team's and alumni's futures.