CINCINNATI — The Bengals released veteran quarterback AJ McCarron on Wednesday.
He signed with the practice squad on Sept. 13, 2023 and joined the active roster on Dec. 4. McCarron appeared in two games.
The veteran quarterback played for the St. Louis Blackhawks last spring. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCarron return to the UFL (formerly XFL) again this year.
Making their first offseason cut, the Bengals are getting ready for 2024 and the return of quarterback Joe Burrow.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Cincinnati is cutting backup quarterback A.J. McCarron, who was brought in for depth after quarterback Jake Burrow had a wrist injury that ended his season in Week 11.
Giving up on McCarron makes sense given the rise of Jake Browning as a quarterback this season. During the final two months of the season, the 27-year-old quarterback passed for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns, which had the Bengals vying for a postseason berth.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Browning also made history by becoming the only quarterback to have 1,000+ passing yards and complete more than 75% of his passes in his first four starts since the NFL started keeping track of quarterback starts in 1950.
Browning was playing on a one-year contract, so Cincinnati will need to resign him this summer if it wants him to return to backup Burrow in 2024. However, McCarron’s release indicates the team’s belief that it will occur.
Regarding McCarron, he intends to play somewhere after making appearances with the Bills (2018), Raiders (2018), Texans (2019–2), and Falcons (2021). Nevertheless, despite throwing for just 19 yards on five tries in relief of
After dominating the XFL in touchdowns, completion %, and quarterback rating in 2023, the 33-year-old found his way back to the NFL. It appears that he will need to follow a similar route to rejoin the NFL the following season.
For the 2024 XFL season, Browning is anticipated to re-sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks. If he puts up another outstanding performance, the Bengals or another team might give him another opportunity to play in the league.
But while a healthy Burrow is making his way back to the field to compete for another Super Bowl in 2024, Cincinnati is entirely focused on strengthening other aspects of its roster at this time.
