Report: AJ McCarron files grievance against Bengals, wants to become free agent
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron has had an unusual season for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Prior to the start of the year, there was talk of him being traded, then he was actually traded to the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday before the Browns bungled the deal.
Therefore, McCarron is still where he started, backing up QB Andy Dalton in Cincinnati.
However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that McCarron is taking a big step toward getting out of Cincinnati, reportedly filing a grievance against the Bengals.
According to Schefter, the grievance — if it is ruled in his favor — would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent (instead of a restricted free agent) this offseason:
McCarron’s grievance dates to his rookie season in 2014, when the Bengals drafted him in the fifth round. McCarron initially passed his post-draft physical, but the Bengals placed him on the non-football injury list (NFI) at the start of training camp due to a shoulder issue.
In McCarron’s opinion, he was healthy enough to come off the NFI list during training camp, which would have counted his rookie season toward his free agency. But Cincinnati didn’t add McCarron to its active roster until Dec. 9, which was too late for him to accrue a season toward his free agency.
Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, a player receives an accrued season that counts toward free agency if he was eligible to play in six regular-season games.
As an unrestricted free agent, McCarron would be able to sign with any team without that team having to give anything to the Bengals in return.
What happens next remains to be seen, but it’s clear McCarron wants a starting job somewhere and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
