Trading AJ McCarron Is The Right Move For Bengals
Where Will He Land?
What team will take him? Your guess is as good as mine.
It’s unlikely he’d go to a team that is happy with its signal-caller like Seattle, Detroit, or Atlanta (where he would be reunited with Julio Jones, the receiver of his first collegiate touchdown pass), but luckily, there are plenty of teams that would most likely be willing to throw some draft picks to Cincinnati for the 2013 winner of the Maxwell Award.
One of the more obvious (and talked about) destinations is Cleveland. A team led by McCarron’s former coordinator Hue Jackson. The Browns went 1-15 this season and saw three different starters under center. Cleveland owns five picks in the top 65 and even more in the later rounds once the NFL announces the distribution of compensatory picks.
Other teams in the QB market form a lengthy list:
San Francisco 49ers (2-14): Blaine Gabbert (1-4, 59.9 QBR) was benched for Colin Kaepernick, who wasn’t much of an upgrade (1-10, 55.5 QBR). They will be starting from scratch with a new Head Coach and possible a new QB in 2017.
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13): People were ready to throw Blake Bortles in the Top-10 discussion at one point. That argument fell through the cracks after a pick-six-filled 2016 season.
Chicago Bears (3-13): Ready to move on from Jay Cutler. Matt Barkley threw 14 interceptions in seven games.
Not Done Yet…
New York Jets (5-11): Ryan Fitzpatrick followed his 2015 heroics with an abysmal 2016. Ryan was injured, then benched, on more than one occasion. They are still young at QB, however. Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg have room to grow.
Buffalo Bills (7-9): Like the 49ers, changes are a coming. Rex Ryan was fired as HC and the Bills are essentially starting from scratch yet again. After sitting a healthy Tyrod Taylor in week 17 to avoid injury, Buffalo seems done with him as its quarterback, leaving only National Championship inner Cardale Jones on the roster if first-round bust E.J Manuel, a free agent, goes elsewhere.