Hey, here's an idea QB-needy teams: Trade for Bengals No. 2 Jake Browning

There's no need to grovel for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. One intriguing veteran could be exactly what a team like the New York Giants need right now.

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The absurdity of this week is summed up perfectly by one of the greatest SNL skits ever. You’ve seen it. Chris Farley — playing an American tourist from Milwaukee, Wisc. — accidentally wanders into a Japanese game show. He wanted to see a game show, not be on a game show. Quickly, Farley realizes this was a “BIG MISTAKE” and the two other contestants are forced to chop off their own fingers when they answer a question wrong.

“Mary!” he yells. “Call the American Embassy!”

That’s essentially where we are at this stage of Quarterback Free Agency.

Oh, there’s demand. The Colts, Giants, Jets, Steelers, Browns and Titans could all use a vet in their respective buildings. The supply — however — is quite pathetic. There are no correct answers on the open market. As I write this sentence, the Steelers and Giants are reportedly waiting with baited breath for a 41-year-old street free agent named Aaron Rodgers to reach his decision. The loser likely turns to Russell Wilson.

Fingers shall be sliced. Body parts shall be electrocuted.

God bless you if you truly think either quarterback experiences a total renaissance at this point. Both displayed obvious signs of physical decline the last three years. Both have been problems behind the scenes. The second the Giants missed out on Matthew Stafford, their focus should’ve completely shifted to acquiring either Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the draft. We’ll see if Joe Schoen is able to land either prospect.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh spins its tires. Mike Tomlin has been one of the greatest coaches this generation but — as Shaun King explained — Tomlin has a brutal blind spot when it comes ot the quarterback position.

There must be other options… right? We know King loves Jameis Winston. But there could also be a backup quarterback under contract worth pursuing. Here’s thinking a team should pick up the phone and see if the Cincinnati Bengals would entertain offers for their No. 2 man: Jake Browning.

Obviously, the Bengals value Browning after seeing their prized possession, Joe Burrow, land on injured reserve in both 2020 (knee) and 2023 (wrist). But it’s also true the Bengals have dire needs on defense. A player. A pick. Anything could help. And Browning played well enough in ‘23 to warrant compensation. When it appeared Cincinnati was toast, he kept the team squarely in the playoff race with 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing an NFL-high 70.4 percent of his passes. Nor was Browning dinkin’ and dunkin.’ He averaged 8 yards per pass attempt. He aired it out to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in pressure-packed overtime moments.

In all, Browning went 4-3 with two of those three losses decided by a TD or less.

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We covered his late-season run in real time at Go Long and, in our 1 on 1, Browning sure didn’t strike me as some cheery run-of-the-mill backup. He carries himself with just the right amount of cockiness at the position. Guys rallied around him. Zac Taylor, Brian Callahan and Dan Pitcher all did a masterful job of coaching him up on the fly. The sort of coaching that could serve him well as the No. 1 on another team.

“All of these games feel like the Super Bowl,” Browning said then.

He talked trash. He took sweet revenge on a Vikings team that didn’t want him.

Most telling is everything veteran teammates said about Browning on our visit to Cincinnati.

A quick sampling:

• Corner Mike Hilton: “We all knew he had that confidence. He’s a gamer.”

• Running back Chase Brown: “This game can feel like it’s moving at a million miles per hour, especially as a young player that's just starting to get some reps. So I can’t even imagine what it’s like playing quarterback given your first opportunity. Things are starting to slow down for him. He’s been making plays since he stepped back there.”

• Safety Mike Thomas: “The rest of us, we rally behind him. Right now, it’s like ‘Jake!’ From Training Day: ‘I need that money, Jake!’ We’ll rally behind you.”

• Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr: “He acts like he’s been there before. Hell, it seems like he has a thousand times. And just what I see in those situations is the confidence. He’s able to give you the play, come to the line of scrimmage, check whatever needs to be checked, communicate with receivers, move guys. Cadence. I mean he’s on it. He’s playing like a real vet. … A lot of moxie, a lot of confidence, a lot of fucking just asshole-like energy. But I think that's what makes him awesome. That raw confidence. I played with a guy very similar in Baker Mayfield in college with his approach to being the walk-on and having the big chip on his shoulder.”

Isn’t it more intriguing to see what a 28-year-old Jake Browning could still become than betting on Rodgers or Wilson turning the clock back four years? I’d take those odds 10 out of 10 times.

Bare minimum, the man who treated those seven games in ‘23 as seven “Super Bowls” is a smooth bridge to Ward or Sanders. In general, there should be more trades in pro football. All parties involved can benefit. As much as Cincinnati loves Browning, this is a defense that could use a third- or fourth-round draft pick. Now. The front office has done virtually nothing through free agency to boost one of the NFL’s worst defenses with their star wideouts in contract limbo. There’s mutual urgency here.

Yet, we wait. And wait. And wait as Rodgers walks the beach as the center of the NFL universe once again. This is familiar territory. He’ll have no problem milking this attention. One person who’s known the quarterback for years tells me Rodgers “wants to control the narrative,” wants teams “to pine for his attention.” We’re all talking about him. We’re all writing about him. The mega-watt attention matters deeply to Rodgers.

Of course, that’s nothing new. We’ve written about it often. What’s strange is the desperation from teams like the Steelers and Giants. It reeks. Both organizations saw firsthand how it ended for Rodgers with the New York Jets. And if the New York Jets — official Quarterback Wasteland — do not want you as a quarterback? Woof.

Instead of reaching for the knife to chop off their own fingers or stuttering “Kwa-kee-sur-pee-niku” with their wrists raised in cuffs, perhaps the Giants, the Steelers or another club should simply pick up the phone.

Bengals exec Duke Tobin should be easy to find.

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Subscribers can access our NFL Free Agency coverage in full at Go Long:

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Want to learn more about Jake Browning? Here’s our profile from December 2023:

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ICYMI:

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