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Ex-Alabama QB AJ McCarron may get starting opportunity with new team
By Andrew Olson
Published:
AJ McCarron has spent his first three seasons in Cincinnati, but he could be playing for a different Ohio team in 2017.
The Cleveland Browns are looking for a quarterback this offseason, and McCarron could be an option. The Browns have been most recently linked to New England Patriots backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport believes McCarron could be the team’s plan B, per NFL.com’s Nick Shook:
Rapoport added that if the price becomes too high, Cleveland could explore other options, most notably Cincinnati’s AJ McCarron, who showed promise under Hue Jackson’s tutelage when the Browns head coach was the offensive coordinator along the Ohio River. The sticker number for McCarron would undoubtedly be less, and Jackson will know what he’s getting. Rapoport said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Browns look at McCarron instead. Considering everything covered above, that might make the most sense for Cleveland, even after needing time to wash off the grime of an in-division trade.
McCarron was first drafted in 2014, but spent most of his rookie season on the non-football injury list. He played in seven games in 2015, making three starts. McCarron’s stats that season were 79-of-119 passing for 854 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. As the Bengals’ backup, he appeared in one game last season, but did not throw a pass.
Due to McCarron’s time on the injury list in 2014, he would be a restricted free agent after the 2017 season, which could make Cincinnati more hesitant to trade him. The Browns, however, need a quarterback and Jackson is certainly familiar with McCarron.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.