Former Alabama star quarterback A.J. McCarron has created value for himself as a reliable backup quarterback in the NFL. When a job isn’t determined by consistent on-field production, it can be difficult to leverage new deals after an injury. After spending the 2021 NFL season recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the preseason, McCarron is ready to contribute again, according to Mark Inabinett of AL.com. 
The last time McCarron really carried a team through a season was back in college. As a freshman at Alabama, McCarron sat behind senior Greg McElroy before taking over as a sophomore. With McCarron at quarterback for those three years, Alabama only lost four games. Over his collegiate career, McCarron had a completion percentage of 66.9% while throwing for 77 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions.
The Bengals used a fifth-round pick to select McCarron in 2014, intending for him to serve as a back up to starter Andy Dalton. He didn’t see any time on the field during his rookie year. A combination of the team signing free agent quarterback Jason Campbell before the draft and some shoulder soreness resulted in McCarron spending most of the year on injured reserve.
After the departure of Campbell the next year, McCarron beat out Keith Wenning and Terrelle Pryor for the backup quarterback position during training camp. When Dalton suffered a broken thumb late in the season, McCarron heard his name called. McCarron started the last three games of the season for Cincinnati winning two of them, which, with the assist of an 8-0 start to the season, was enough to get the Bengals into the playoffs as the AFC North division winner. McCarron started the Wild Card game for Cincinnati against the Steelers, as well, and was minutes away from giving the Bengals their first playoff victory in 25 years if not for a late-game rally by Pittsburgh.
When Dalton recovered and returned for the next season, McCarron reverted back to his back up role. McCarron was nearly the prize of a mid-season trade with the Browns, who intended send a second- and third-round pick in the following draft in exchange for the fourth-year quarterback. Unfortunately, the Brown failed to file the paperwork before the trade deadline and the trade never went through. McCarron then filed a labor grievance against Cincinnati claiming that he had been healthy enough to be removed from the non-football injury list as a rookie and that the season should count toward his accrued season total. He won the grievance and, as a result, became an unrestricted free agent the following year.
McCarron signed with the Bills and entered a quarterback competition with Nathan Peterman and then-rookie Josh Allen. McCarron was injured during the preseason and Peterman won the competition, before promptly being benched in Week 1 in favor of Allen. With Peterman and Allen set as the starter and back up, the Bills decided to get some value out of McCarron and traded him to the Raiders for a fifth-round pick. He spent the season backing up Derek Carr before being released at the end of the year.
McCarron signed with the Texans and ended up making a start in a season finale game, after it was determined that Houston would be locked in as the 4-seed. After two years in Houston, McCarron signed last offseason with the Falcons to back up Matt Ryan. The ACL tear in the team’s second preseason game would end his season prematurely.
In an interview on NFL Network, McCarron claimed that he felt great, saying that he “got cleared at four-and-a-half months out from surgery, so (he’s) just been working on the strength and getting everything back normal.”
“You never know what your future holds, what it is in this game,” McCarron said. “So I’m just ready, waiting for a call.”
As teams begin to go into camps, arms will certainly be needed. It’s hard to imagine that an eight-year veteran with plenty of practice and camp experience will have to wait very long for that call.
“AJ McCarron wants to come back to the NFL.”
Fans: Who?
“That guy whose hot girlfriend Brent Musberger drooled all over on national TV.”
Fans: Oh yeah, that guy.
He should stay home for multiple reasons.
Everyone watching football that season drooled over her….Brent was just saying what all dudes were thinking.
I also didn’t realize this guy was still in the league.
Damn, just looked up his wife. She’s super hot lol
Even after having three kids.
Yeah, forwhomjoshbelltolled only likes “rich sacks” and “licking boots”. attractive women and all of that isn’t his thing, unfortunately.
You noticed that too? Haha
No, the people I mock lick the sacks and boots. Learn to read.
And they don’t like being called out for it. At all.
But they love to keep doing it. All the time.
Like you.
Grow up. What are you 13?
FTR, typically when I use those euphemisms I am referring to their mind warped fealty to being pawns and wind up toys for the rich, etc.
With you, it’s obviously a reference to your eagerly slavish devotion to forgoing your dignity to clown for an accused serial rapist based on NOTHING more than him playing for the worst team in pro sports…the Cleveland Browns.
You’d clean up Watson’s massage table and not miss a drop, as you make plain with each post. You might even openly admit it, at this point.
Grow up again. This is what a kid would say.
Deshaun Watson, star QB of the Browns asks you to clean up his massage table with your tongue…do you say yes or no?
I think we know the answer, but maybe you do not.
Yes or no?
Is this you Peewee Herman?
You. Didn’t. Say. No.
Because you couldn’t bring yourself to say no.
Because you know you would.
Gleefully.
There’s a reason you like talking about junk. I think I know why. Yuck
Trying to use 6th grade lunch table homophobia is a pretty weak debating tactic there, Dawg.
Yes or no, are you cleaning Watson’s massage table with your tongue? Yes or no?
We ALL know the answer is yes, but it’s still fascinating that you can’t even bring yourself to lie and say no.
I bet you’re popular at the trailer park. You are probably one of those fat guys in a tank top
Building a strawman is a pretty weak debating tactic there, Dawg.
Yes or no, you cleaning Watson’s massage table with your tongue?
Anyone with pride would have said no by now…what’s your answer?
Anyone with pride would have said no… that sounds like homophobia dude. Pot calling the kettle black
Are you implying that gay people would obviously be happy to clean the massage table with their tongues…?
Cuz I was including them in with the people who have too much pride to do that…
Unlike you, apparently. Pot, Kettle, Mirror.
Don’t be surprised when the Browns come calling if or when that waste of a human gets suspended like he should
Not happening. The Browns already have 2 better backups
Being an NFL backup is a better gig than most.
The Panthers starting QB week one.
This guy gets more publicity for not accomplishing anything but riding an 8-0 team in the playoffs which he scored 15 points and lost
XFL
link to encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com