{"id":15007,"date":"2017-03-07T15:55:24","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T20:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=15007"},"modified":"2022-02-02T18:49:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T23:49:17","slug":"trade-aj-mccarron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/03\/07\/trade-aj-mccarron\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Would Trade for A.J. McCarron?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the NFL if you don’t have a franchise quarterback, you are looking for one.\u00a0 The Bengals’\u00a0A.J. McCarron<\/a><\/strong> had a prestigious college career at Alabama, but was not drafted until the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.\u00a0 He has not played much in his NFL career, but impressed in the absence of Andy Dalton<\/a><\/strong> at the end of the 2015 season.\u00a0 The Bengals value him and are asking at least a second round pick to trade McCarron to a quarterback hungry team.\u00a0 Who would trade for McCarron?\u00a0 There are a handful of teams who it would make a lot of sense for.<\/p>\n

Who Would Trade for A.J. McCarron?<\/h2>\n

The Broncos (51st<\/sup> Overall Selection)<\/h3>\n

The Minnesota Vikings looked into a trade for McCarron after Teddy Bridgewater<\/a><\/strong> was injured last year.\u00a0 Mike Zimmer<\/strong>, Head Coach of the Vikings, was previously the Defensive Coordinator in Cincinnati and although his time in Cincinnati did not overlap with McCarron\u2019s the relationship between Zimmer and the Bengals was certainly a factor in trade talks.\u00a0 The Denver Broncos\u2019 Head Coach Vance Joseph<\/a><\/strong> was the Defensive Backs Coach in Cincinnati during McCarron\u2019s rookie season.\u00a0 Joseph has a relationship with the Bengals organization and saw a lot of McCarron against his own defensive backs in practice.<\/p>\n

The Broncos need to do a little work to get their offensive line where they want it to be, but besides that the quarterback position is their only major issue.\u00a0 They have an excellent defense and a sound running game.\u00a0 This would be an ideal opportunity for McCarron.\u00a0 Trevor Siemian<\/a><\/strong> was their starter for most of the 2016 season.\u00a0 They had also drafted Paxton Lynch<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 It is difficult to say where Lynch is at in his development, particularly since this is a new coaching staff, but I would imagine Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway<\/a><\/strong> has a pretty good idea.<\/p>\n

The Broncos have been linked to both Mike Glennon<\/a><\/strong> and Tony Romo<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Romo obviously has them both beat on experience, but he is not getting any younger and has struggled to stay healthy.\u00a0 Glennon has significantly more NFL starting experience than McCarron, but his quarterback rating as a starter is not as good as McCarron’s has been in limited starts. \u00a0McCarron may be the better option for the Broncos. \u00a0He would be a more affordable option this season, plus if Lynch or Siemian beats him out, the Broncos can let him walk in free agency next year and not pay him another dime. \u00a0The Broncos would still have their first pick, which they may use on a tackle to improve their offensive line.<\/p>\n

Browns (52nd<\/sup> Overall Selection Acquired via Trade from Tennessee)<\/h3>\n

The Cleveland Browns also have a head coach with ties to Cincinnati.\u00a0 When the Bengals drafted McCarron, Browns\u2019 Head Coach Hue Jackson<\/strong> was the team\u2019s first year Offensive Coordinator.\u00a0 Jackson was a part of drafting McCarron and coached him during his first two NFL seasons.\u00a0 Jackson\u2019s familiarity with McCarron means that he knows what he could get out of the young quarterback more than any other NFL head coach.<\/p>\n

Why would it make sense for the Browns to trade for McCarron?\u00a0 The Browns have two first round picks and two second round picks.\u00a0 Many have speculated that the Browns will take a quarterback with one of their first round picks, but trading their extra second round pick would allow them to add a quarterback who Hue Jackson knows well and use three of the top thirty-three picks to improve their roster in other ways.<\/p>\n

Redskins (49th<\/sup> Overall Selection)<\/h3>\n

This one is a bit of a wild card.\u00a0 Jay Gruden<\/strong> was the Offensive Coordinator for the Bengals prior to becoming the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins.\u00a0 This was also prior to McCarron\u2019s arrival in Cincinnati, so he does not have the familiarity with McCarron that Joseph and Jackson do.<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins<\/a><\/strong> is unhappy.\u00a0 He says he will not play on the franchise tag and there are rumors of a trade to the San Francisco 49ers.\u00a0 If Cousins is traded, the Redskins may not have many other options.\u00a0 Tony Romo and Mike Glennon\u00a0will likely not last very long in free agency.\u00a0 In a trade for McCarron the Redskins would give up very little.\u00a0 The Redskins would retain their first pick and maybe pick up more picks in a deal for Cousins.\u00a0 This would allow for the Redskins to use other picks to rebuild their defense and put some weapons around McCarron. \u00a0Once again, the Redskins would have no long term money tied up in McCarron so if they don’t think he is the future, they can let him enter free agency after the season. \u00a0McCarron would at least provide a temporary solution to the problem of losing Cousins.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n

In these scenarios the Broncos, Browns, or Redskins would be able to acquire a quarterback giving up very little and not be tied to him past this season in case he does not pan out. \u00a0In any of these events, the Bengals would pick up an additional second rounder, in an ideal position for them to pick up much needed help at any of a number of positions.\u00a0 A trade for McCarron that sent a high second round pick to Cincinnati would be extremely beneficial to the Bengals who have many needs and are unlikely to fill them through free agency.<\/p>\n

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