Latest On Bengals’ A.J. McCarron

When the Bengals started receiving trade interest in backup quarterback A.J. McCarron this offseason, coach Marvin Lewis went on record as saying the team would not be trading him. It appears they are pretty serious about that position. The Bengals were offered a second round pick for the QB earlier this offseason, Albert Breer of The MMQB hears, but they still said no. 

The Bengals feel that even if they trade McCarron for a draft pick, they’ll still have to replace him by using another draft pick. The Bengals also know first hand that McCarron can be a capable fill-in if Andy Dalton suffers an injury and misses time. McCarron, 26 in September, filled in for Dalton to close out the 2015 regular season. From weeks 13 through 16, McCarron completed 66.1% of his passes with six touchdowns and two interceptions before suffering a left wrist injury. The right-handed QB returned to action in the playoffs as the Bengals lost a close contest to the Steelers.

There’s also this: because McCarron spent most of his rookie year on the non-football injury list, he’ll be a restricted free agent after the season instead of an unrestricted free agent. The Bengals will have the ability to keep him on the cheap for the next two seasons for next to nothing while top backups in the league earn $4-5MM. This year, McCarron carries a cap number of $735K.

In April, after Lewis downplayed the trade talk, it was reported that the Bengals were seeking a first round choice for McCarron. The same could still be true today. The Bengals may not be inclined to move the Alabama product, but everyone has a price and it’s hard to say no to a top-32 pick for a No. 2 QB.