By Jordan Long
Quarterback A.J. McCarron played for the St. Louis Battle Hawks in the XFL this season. His team went 7-3 in the 8-team league. They are in the North Division with the D.C. Defenders, Seattle Sea Dragons, and Vegas Vipers. They tied Seattle in terms of record but missed out on the postseason due to tie breakers. There could be NFL teams interested in McCarron.
McCarron played the NFL game before with Cincinnati, the then Oakland Raiders, Buffalo, Houston, and Atlanta. His NFL career lasted from 2014 to 2021. In that time McCarron held a 2-2 record as a starter, tossing for 1,173 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 picks.
In 2021, McCarron tore his ACL in a preseason game. Of course, McCarron had to sit out the rest of the year while it healed. Last season, NFL teams passed on McCarron.
The XFL allowed McCarron and other players to play football at a high level. Some of the players had NFL experience and were hoping for another opportunity to showcase their skills to have another crack at the NFL. McCarron made the most of the experience. This year, he passed for 2,150 yards, 24 touchdowns, and an impressively low 6 interceptions. With those stats, he was voted MVP of the XFL. NFL teams may want to call him to be a backup, including the New York Giants, the L.A. Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
The New York Giants may be a long shot to land McCarron. They have two quarterbacks they are going to count on this year, Tyrod Taylor and Daniel Jones. The thing is though, a franchise needs more than two quarterbacks on the roster. Sure, the Giants could draft one this week, but McCarron is the better option. At least he knows the NFL game and can read defenses. He could compete with Taylor as the backup.
The L.A. Chargers need a backup to Justin Herbert. Easton Stick is the only other quarterback on the roster. He has been with the Chargers since 2019 but hasn’t seen the field all that much, throwing 1 pass. The Chargers may want to think about giving Herbert a better backup which could be McCarron.
The Cincinnati Bengals are a very interesting option. They are a place that knows McCarron well since that was his first franchise in the NFL, lasting from 2014 to 2017. Cincinnati doesn’t have a reliable backup. Of course, Joe Burrow is their starter. He has become a top quarterback in the game. After that, Jake Browning is the only other quarterback on the roster. He has been in the NFL since 2019 with Minnesota, lasting from 2019 to 2021. Last season Browning was on the Cincinnati roster but hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL at this point.
It would make the most sense for McCarron to go back to Cincinnati. It is probably his best opportunity since most likely he would be the backup to Burrow.
McCarron will probably need to wait until after the NFL Draft this week to receive a call. Teams fill their needs at some positions during the draft. After that, franchises who need a quarterback may call McCarron. McCarron has a decision to make once that happens. He should go to the best team where he can be competitive. McCarron has shown he deserves a second chance in the NFL.
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