AJ McCarron spent the 2022 season out of the NFL, but he has found his wake back to where his professional journey started.
Ahead of Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season, McCarron was signed to the Bengals' practice squad to provide depth at the quarterback position. At the time, Joe Burrow was dealing with a calf injury and Jake Browning was the team's only other quarterback after the Patriots sniped Will Grier from the Cincinnati practice squad.
McCarron wasn't ultimately called up for the Bengals' "Monday Night Football" clash with the Rams; the honor of being Cincinnati's third-string quarterback for the contest went to Reid Sinnett. However, making it back to the Bengals' roster was certainly a win for McCarron after his journey back to the NFL.
McCarron was a star at Alabama. He won three national championships in college — two as a starter — at the beginning of the 2010s and established himself as one of the most successful quarterbacks in school history before carving out an NFL career as a backup.
But after spending the 2022 season out of the league, McCarron managed to revive his career with the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL. That allowed him to return to the NFL for his ninth season.
But why was McCarron out of the NFL, and what led him to play in the XFL? Here's a look at what went into the long-time NFL backup's comeback effort.
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What happened to AJ McCarron?
McCarron spent the 2022 season out of the NFL thanks to a torn ACL he suffered during the 2021 preseason.
The knee injury occurred in the Falcons' preseason Week 2 matchup against the Dolphins. McCarron was trying to scramble for a first down when his knees appeared to buckle just before he was tackled.
McCarron was able to leave the field, but it was quickly revealed that his season would be over. So, too, was his quest to earn the backup job behind Matt Ryan.
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The good news was that McCarron was able to get healthy before the start of the 2022 season. He said in a June interview with NFL Network he "felt really great" and wanted to play again.
"You never know what your future holds, what it is in this game, so I’m just ready, waiting for a call," McCarron said, as transcribed via AL.com. "But right now, I’m enjoying my time off and being able to be a dad and being around my three boys for the first time in a while."
McCarron never got that call, and so he remained on the sidelines for the 2022 season. However, he wasn't out of football, as he played for the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks during the league's 2023 spring season.
McCarron racked up 2,150 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 68.8 percent of his passes and leading the Battlehawks to a 7-3 record. That was enough to prove to the Bengals that the 33-year-old was still at full strength, so Cincinnati signed him to the team's practice squad with Joe Burrow dealing with a calf injury.
AJ McCarron NFL teams
McCarron was considered a rock-solid backup before his knee injury. He hasn't played much in the NFL, but he has been on the rosters of five different teams, including two separate stints with the Bengals:
- Bengals (2014-17)
- Bills (2018)
- Raiders (2018)
- Texans (2019-20)
- Falcons (2021)
- Bengals (2023)
McCarron will now look to stick around Cincinnati and perhaps log his first regular-season action with the Bengals since 2017.
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AJ McCarron NFL stats
McCarron has appeared in 17 games (four starts) and thrown 174 passes over his eight NFL seasons.
Still, McCarron has proved to be an efficient backup, leading his teams to a 2-2 record in his starts. A look at his career stats:
| Category | Stat |
| Completion percentage | 62.6 |
| Passing yards | 1,173 |
| Passing touchdowns | 6 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
| Yards per attempt | 6.7 |
| Passer rating | 86.7 |
McCarron has also started one playoff game in his career. That came during the 2015 season when Bengals starter Andy Dalton was out injured. McCarron completed 23 of 41 passes for 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception in an 18-16 loss to the Steelers.
These numbers are decent considering McCarron's limited action. They do, however, pale in comparison to what he was able to accomplish during his time at Alabama.
AJ McCarron Alabama stats
McCarron was a three-year starter at Alabama and helped lead the Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships. He also was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting following his senior season in 2013.
Just how good was McCarron during his college days? A look at his stats from his four seasons under Nick Saban:
| Year | Comp. pct. | Pass yds | Pass TDs | INTs | Yds/att | Rating |
| 2010 | 62.5 | 389 | 3 | 0 | 8.1 | 151.2 |
| 2011 | 66.8 | 2,634 | 16 | 5 | 8.0 | 147.3 |
| 2012 | 67.2 | 2,933 | 30 | 3 | 9.3 | 175.3 |
| 2013 | 67.3 | 3,063 | 28 | 7 | 9.1 | 167.2 |
Some wondered whether McCarron had the talent to stick in the NFL, but the Bengals liked his accuracy enough to make him a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft. He showed staying power before his knee injury, so the pick wasn't a bad one.
That may be part of the reason that Cincinnati was happy to bring back McCarron amid injury issues in its quarterback room.
AJ McCarron career earnings
McCarron has done well for himself as a pro. He has started just four games but has still managed to make more than $15.6 million over the course of his career. That's despite making less than $1 million in each of his first five seasons.
A good chunk of McCarron's fortune came from the two-year, $10 million deal he signed with the Bills during the 2018 offseason. He was traded to the Raiders before ever playing for Buffalo but still received $5 million for that season, during which he threw just three passes.
Here is a breakdown of McCarron's earnings by season, per Spotrac.com:
| Year | Earnings |
| 2014 | $601,652 |
| 2015 | $510,000 |
| 2016 | $600,000 |
| 2017 | $690,000 |
| 2018 | $5,000,000 |
| 2019 | $3,000,000 |
| 2020 | $4,000,316 |
| 2021 | $1,212,500 |
| 2023 | 329,600 |
| Total | $15,944,06 |
McCarron added to that total the roughly $59,000 he made playing in the XFL, so that should push him just over the $16 million mark in career professional football earnings.
Still, McCarron will be hoping that his opportunity with the Bengals can lead to another contract. And if he can cash in on his Battlehawks success with another seven-figure NFL deal, it will be a success story for the fledgling spring league.
