Remember Jake Browning, the kid from Folsom High who threw 91 TDs in a single season? The one who basically rewrote the California record books before doing the same at Washington? That guy is gone. “If I wasn’t pissed, then I shouldn’t be in this locker room,” Browning said, a day after the Bengals traded for Joe Flacco. The move wasn’t exactly a shock.

The Bengals were just dragged through a 3-game losing streak where they were outscored by a gut-punching 77 points. When the offense looked lost, the QB always received the blame. The leash got short. Then it snapped.

Browning knows he played a role. “I’m aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles,” he admitted, but the confession came with a caveat. “But I’m also not shouldering the entire situation.” The numbers tell a messy story. Over that skid, Browning tossed 8 interceptions against just 6 touchdowns. 3 of those INTs came against the Detroit Lions, a game that saw the Bengals fall into a 28-3 hole and effectively sealed his fate. The front office saw enough. They felt the locker room’s confidence wavering. So they made the call.

The Bengals, now 2-3, acquired 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco and a 2026 second-round pick from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday in exchange for a 2026 fifth-rounder. Cincinnati made the move after Jake Browning struggled in three starts following Joe Burrow’s Week 2 turf toe injury, which required surgery. Head coach Zac Taylor said the former Super Bowl MVP’s playing style “fits our style.”

Thing is, Browning has a point. It wasn’t all on him. “I can point to the Denver game where I did take care of the ball, and we put up three points,” he argued. That’s the rub, isn’t it? When the whole machine is sputtering, is it fair to just replace the driver? Browning seems to think not. “There’s a lot of different things that need to go into an offense doing well,” he said. But in the NFL, nuance is a luxury. Results are the only currency that matters. And a 48-10 loss to the Vikings, followed by a 28-3 drubbing by the Broncos, is a pretty clear result.

The frustration boiled over when he was asked how he transitions from starter to helping the new guy, Joe Flacco, get up to speed. His answer set social media on fire. “My understanding is that’s the coaches’ job to get him ready,” Browning stated flatly. “I’m learning the game plan too… I’m a player, so just getting ready in case I need to go in.” Media personality Malik Wright tweeted what everyone was thinking: “Buddy is mad as hell.” He wasn’t wrong.

The fans weren’t feeling forgiving towards Browning

The backlash was immediate and sharp. Fans who rode the high of his 70.4% completion rate in 2023 felt betrayed. “So are all of us,” one fan posted online. “We thought we were getting 2023 Browning, and we got some guy that can’t even find the open receiver.” The sentiment was widespread. The QB who looked so sharp just a season ago, completing over 70% of his passes for 12 TDs and only 7 INTs, suddenly looked hesitant and lost.

Others saw it as a competitor’s predictable fall. “He should be [mad]. That’s the competitor in him,” another commenter wrote. “But he did it to himself. He got the opportunity and didn’t perform.” For many, it was just that simple.

The sympathy had run out. It was a bottom-line business, and Browning’s performance had tanked. “I like Jake, but dude was given his shot,” a final, blunt assessment read. “He absolutely tanked. Moving on.”

In the end, Browning knows the deal. “It sucks, but welcome to pro football,” he conceded. This one just stung differently because, as he put it, it’s “probably the most public” failure he’s endured. When you get cut, you don’t have to face the media. You just go home. Here, he had to stand there and wear it. He’s focused on responding the right way, but his blunt reaction to getting Flacco ready shows the raw nerve that’s been hit.