The New England Patriots were first to offer him a contract on Wednesday, but it was a divisional rival that stepped in and ultimately stole AJ McCarron away from Bill Belichick.
Hours after the Patriots extended an offer to the former fifth-round pick, the Buffalo Bills and McCarron agreed to a two-year deal. Information came from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, as the two-time BCS national championship starting quarterback for Alabama has found a new home in the National Football League. While getting McCarron does not mean the Bills won’t pursue one of the top signal callers in the draft, it does give the 27-year-old a shot at the job.
The #Bills have signed former #Bengals QB AJ McCarron to a 2-year deal. He’s found a home.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2018
From @NFLTotalAccess: The #Bills have a QB and AJ McCarron has a new home. pic.twitter.com/N6WBxptS8a
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2018
Should McCarron win out, he will have multiple weapon around him – including running back LeSean McCoy, wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin, Malachi Dupre and Zay Jones and tight end Charles Clay. McCoy is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, with his latest one occurring in 2017 as he totaled 1,138 yards rushing with six touchdowns on 287 carries.
He was used to throwing to a marquee tight end at Alabama, and McCarron will have that security blanket in Clay. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder hauled in 49 catches for 558 receiving yards and two touchdowns last season, while averaging 11.4 yards per catch.
Defensively, the Bills are set up for success.
Aside from having pass rushers like Shaq Lawson and Trent Murphy, head coach Sean McDermott also has a defensive backfield in Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde and Vontae Davis that can force turnovers. Buffalo made the playoffs at 9-7 in 2017 with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, however, McCarron’s brand of leadership and mechanics could elevate it.
He accounted for 920 passing yards with six touchdowns in four years at Cincinnati.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
