Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron will officially be an unrestricted free agent next month after an arbiter ruled Thursday in favor of his grievance against the team, according to a source in connection with ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. He's expected to garner heavy interest on the open market from teams looking to upgrade their quarterbacks situations.
According to an article written today by Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the 27-year old quarterback filed the grievance back in November and argued that the Bengals should have activated him from the non-football injury list during training camp in 2014, which was McCarron's rookie season with the team.
“Instead, the Bengals kept him on the NFI list with a shoulder injury and didn't activate him until Dec. 9, and he wasn't credited for service time needed for an accrued season (six regular-season games are needed),” Owczarski said.
On the Wednesday edition of PFT Live, Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports Network said that the Denver Broncos are a team that will be interested in McCarron when he hits free agency in March.
McCarron, who backed up Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton throughout the 2017 season, only threw 14 passes in two games the entire year, but he's still coveted as a solid QB option around the league.
In his career, with most of his action coming during the 2015 season, the Alabama product has thrown for 854 yards on 79-of-119 passes (66.4 completion percentage), six touchdowns, and two interceptions during the regular season.
In the Bengals' heartbreaking 18-16 loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2016 AFC Wild Card Game, McCarron got the start for the injured Dalton and threw for 212 yards on 23-of-41 passes, one touchdown, one interception, and one fumble lost.
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