AJ McCarron won his grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals and will become an unrestricted free agent next month Kasen Williams Jersey , making him one of the more attractive quarterbacks on the market.
McCarron challenged the Bengals' decision to put him on a non-football injury list as a rookie in 2014, when the fifth-round pick had a sore passing shoulder. The move meant that the season wouldn't count toward free agency and McCarron would have to stick around as Andy Dalton's backup for one more year in 2018.
Instead, an independent arbitrator ruled in McCarron's favor on Thursday, a decision announced by the NFL players' association.
The Bengals could keep him for one more season by applying a transition or franchise tag, which is highly unlikely given the cost. Instead, the 27-year-old McCarron is set to find a place where he can start.
Could it be Cleveland?
The Browns arranged a deal for McCarron shortly before the trade deadline on Oct. 31 but failed to submit the paperwork on time, scuttling the trade. Browns coach Hue Jackson was McCarron's offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, giving him a firsthand assessment of the quarterback's abilities.
The Browns went 0-16 last season with rookie DeShone Kizer struggling. They're looking for stability at their most elusive position.
McCarron was a two-time national champion at Alabama. The Bengals drafted him to be Dalton's backup, and he rarely played except in the preseason. During his four seasons Todd Gurley II Jersey , McCarron has appeared in only 11 games, most of them in the final minutes with a lopsided score.
His career-turning opportunity came in December 2015, when Dalton broke the thumb on his passing hand. McCarron started the last three games and led the Bengals to the playoffs. He then rallied the Bengals in a first-round game against Pittsburgh and had them in position to get their first playoff victory since the 1990 season, but Jeremy Hill fumbled and penalties on Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones set up the Steelers for a winning field goal in the final seconds.
In four seasons, McCarron has completed 86 of 133 passes for 920 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bengals have Jeff Driskel as a backup to Dalton. He broke his hand in the preseason and was on an injury list. Driskel hasn't played in a regular season game during his two seasons in Cincinnati.
Seemed fairly clear that Marcin Gortat and the Washington Wizards were ready to part ways. Now they will.
The Wizards traded Gortat, their starting center, to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Austin Rivers on Tuesday night. Both players are entering the final season of their contracts and are set to earn similar salaries, making a straight-up exchange work under NBA rules.
The 34-year-old Gortat is a durable, screen-setting big man who has played 12 years in the league Josh Ferguson Jersey , the past five with Washington. He averaged 8.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, his lowest numbers since 2009-10, when he was with the Orlando Magic, but could fill a need in Los Angeles if DeAndre Jordan departs.
After the Wizards finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs to No. 1 seed Toronto, Gortat was adamant that he had no interest in changing his style of play at this late stage of his career.
Asked about the possibility of working on his outside shot, Gortat replied: ”This summer, I’m going to work on my tan. I’m going to work on my 6-pack. Get my biceps definition a bit better. You can’t improve 3-point shooting. You can’t improve your shot, specifically for me. I truly believe I’m a solid, good shooter up to 15 Andrew Billings Jersey , 17 feet. But I’m not going to shoot 3s. No, I’m not going to do that. I want to go into the paint. Body people. Be physical. Get scratches. Bleed.”
Gortat also discussed the widely held perception that he and All-Star point guard John Wall did not get along.
”We are good. Are we best friends? And, like, the greatest friends? Brothers? Probably not. But I’m not best friends with probably half of the team over there,” Gortat said in April after Washington was eliminated. ”So I have a few good friends, but the rest of them are just my colleagues and teammates. That’s how it is. That’s how it is around the league.”
The Wizards had a bit of a roster problem at center, with Gortat plus a similar, stay-in-the-paint, well-paid backup center Ian Mahinmi.
They also were in need of backup help at guard Steve Atwater Jersey , which Rivers can provide.
Rivers, who turns 26 in August, averaged a career-best 15.1 points and four assists last season while playing for his father, Doc, the Clippers’ coach.
”He is coming off a career year and his ability to create offense for himself and others will help our second unit and allow us to play a variety of lineups throughout the season,” Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement announcing the trade.