With backup quarterback Trey Lance recently placed on IR, the Chargers are bolstering their options behind Justin Herbert in the event of an emergency.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Chargers have signed former Bengals and Bucs quarterback Jake Browning. The 6’2, 210-pound Browning has 2,707 career passing yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
After spending the first three seasons (2019-2021) of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, Browning went to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 and will spend most of the next four-plus seasons backing up Joe Burrow. He made his NFL debut in 2023, starting seven games for the Bengals in place of the injured Burrow. He finished that season with a 70 percent completion percentage, 1,932 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
In 2025, Browning lost all three of his starts and threw for 771 yards with six touchdowns and eight picks.
Most recently, Browning spent the 2026 offseason as a member of the Bucs.