Who Should I Start? Jake Browning or Riley Leonard

Wednesday, March 11, 12:50 PM

Free-agent quarterback Jake Browning plans to sign an undisclosed one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Browning will go from backing up Joe Burrow in Cincinnati to backing up Baker Mayfield in Tampa. The 29-year-old signal-caller from Washington has three years of NFL experience with the Bengals, appearing in 17 games (10 starts). In those games, Browning completed 68.5% of his 368 pass attempts for 2,707 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He led the league with a 70.4% completion percentage in his rookie year in 2023, when he was forced to make seven starts with Burrow injured. In Tampa, Browning will serve as a solid backup option for Mayfield, whose aggressive style of play opens him up to plenty of injuries. If Browning is forced into starts for the Bucs in 2026, he definitely won't have the top-notch receiving corps he worked with in Cincy.