"McCarron's Market Place": How Valuable is He?

One of the hottest topics of the offseason has been whether or not the Bengals will trade quarterback AJ McCarron. In his exit interview, McCarron spoke like a guy who was certain that his wish for an opportunity to start would happen. With a potential 8-10 teams in need of a quarterback, the Bengals should expect to receive some inquiries. Duke Tobin recent told Cincinnati Enquirer beat writer Jim Owczarski just how valuable McCarron is.  No one definitively knows McCarron’s value. We will examine areas to assess his value and potential suitors.

AJ McCarron vs. the 49ers

AJ McCarron’s Resume:

Age: 26	Experience: 3 Years	Draft Pick: 5th Round | 164th Pick
Remaining Contract:  735k / 1 Year	College: Alabama	Height / Weight: 6’3 220 pounds
Regular Season Games Started: 3	Regular Season Passing Yards / Game: 184	Regular Season Total Passing TDs: 4
Regular Season  Interceptions: 0	Regular Season QB Rating: 102.4	Regular Season Starter Record: 2-1
Postseason  Games Started: 1	Postseason Passing Yards: 212	Postseason Total Passing TDs: 1
Postseason Interceptions: 1	Postseason QB Rating: 68.3	Postseason Starter Record: 0-1

Potential Suitors:

1. Arizona Cardinals

•  Carson Palmer contemplating retirement
• GM has showed a strong interest in Bengals players (Carson Palmer, Jermaine Gresham, Frostee Rucker, etc.)
• High-value draft picks
• Attempted to trade up with the Bengals during 2015 draft.

2. San Francisco 49ers

•  New GM in John Lynch
• Kyle Shanahan rumored to become the new head coach
• Prior trade history
• High-value draft picks

3. Los Angeles Rams

• Insurance for Jared Goff
• Won’t be able to offer much in draft picks, but could offer up players
• Prior QB trade history (Ragone ; Ryan Fitzpatrick )
• Pre-Draft visit with McCarron

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

• McCarron could give the Jaguars options at QB
• Tom Coughlin visited Bengals 2016 training camp
• Prior trade history; high-value draft picks
• Pre-Draft visit with McCarron

5. Chicago Bears

•  Ready to move on from Jay Cutler
• High-value draft picks
• NFC team

6. New York Jets

• High-value draft picks

7. Houston Texans

• Insurance for Osweiler

8. Cleveland Browns

• Pre-Draft visit with McCarron
• Hue Jackson prior trade history
• Highly unlikely; Mike Brown hates them

Reasons for McCarron Interest:

Winner-- McCarron has proven he can not only win on a college level, but also in the NFL. He almost pulled an upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2015 Wildcard Playoff matchup.

Low Cost­-- Would allow teams cap flexibility.

Experience-- Has three years of NFL experience. Has played in 7 total games.

Age-- Only 26 years old.

Health-- Outside of his rookie year, McCarron has been able to stay healthy.

Trade Value Rumors & News:

• In 2016, Bill Polian stated he thinks McCarron is the #1 Quarterback teams will want to trade for.

• A year ago, Peter King said he believes McCarron is worth as much as a first round pick.

• Per WalterFootball, AFC & NFC general managers believe QB Jimmy Garoppolo would for a second-third round pick and don’t believe he’s worthy of a first round price tag.

• General Managers have cited the trades of Alex Smith, Matt Cassell & Matt Schaub as outliers for value. They stated these were all quarterbacks with more starts & experience traded for second round picks.

• The Broncos & Texans are rumored to be both be interested in Tony Romo.

• The Texans are rumored to be interested in Jimmy Garoppolo for the right price. Veteran Jay Cutler is also in play.

• The Browns are rumored to be interested in Jimmy Garoppolo; Tyrod Taylor if he becomes available.

• Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians expressed his desire to work with Jay Cutler numerous times.

• In 2016, GM Rick Spielman attempted to acquire a quarterback. He never confirms that he contacted the Bengals, but said: “Some teams asked for a first-round pick and a core young player”.

Market Assessment:

After reviewing this information, I believe that realistically the Bengals could acquire a third-round and fifth-round pick for AJ McCarron. I think the highest a team would surrender would be a second-round pick. I also wouldn’t rule out McCarron being dealt for another player. The Bengals have executed player for player deals in the past.

Being that AJ didn’t play this year, I think that will decrease his trade value. In terms of the best trade partner, I think it would be the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have talented players, could supply the Bengals with high-value draft selections, and would ensure McCarron would be shipped out of the AFC. One thing to keep in mind is that if the Bengals do not receive a valuable offer for McCarron, he will likely to return for one more season.