Inside The Vikings

Jake Browning Says This Win Against the Vikings Meant More to Him

Browning was cut by the Vikings' previous regime in 2021.
Will Ragatz|
Jake Browning Says This Win Against the Vikings Meant More to Him
Jake Browning Says This Win Against the Vikings Meant More to Him

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Minnesota Vikings

That one meant a little bit more to Jake Browning.

Browning, a Vikings UDFA signing in 2019, was cut by the team in 2021 when they chose to have Kellen Mond as their backup and Sean Mannion as their practice squad third-stringer. He landed with the Bengals to back up Joe Burrow and a couple years later, he has now led three straight victories as the starter in the wake of Burrow's season-ending injury.

After throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback victory on Saturday, Browning admitted that this one felt special.

"I remember getting cut there last time and just being told, like 'Hey, we might have a spot for you on the practice squad, go to the hotel and wait,'" Browning said. "So I sat in the hotel for a couple 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. I had been there for two years. I’ve been cut my fair share of times and that was probably the shittiest one. There was a little bit more this week."

Browning acknowledged that it's no longer the same regime in Minnesota — that was Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer leading the decision to cut him then — but it's hard to fault him for finding some extra motivation from it.

“I know I denied it and there's some great people over there, it's a completely different coaching staff and everything," he said. "I want to emphasize that 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’ve cut me.'"

As it turns out, the Vikings made a mistake back then. They pretty clearly should've at least kept Browning around on the practice squad. Now he's starting games on a playoff contender and found a way to stick it to his old team this weekend. Meanwhile, Mond is out of the league and Mannion is on the Seahawks' practice squad.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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