The window for the Cincinnati Bengals trading AJ McCarron is officially closed. McCarron won a grievance against the team yesterday, with the result being he'll be an unrestricted free agent next month. McCarron's got some questions and a short NFL resume, but he'll probably wind up as the favorite to start somewhere.
Here's the story from the Cincinnati Enquirer. McCarron now joins a market of free agent and likely available quarterbacks that's highlighted by Kirk Cousins, but includes a few other noteworthy possibilities. Here they are ranked.
(I'm leaving off Drew Brees. He doesn't want to play anywhere else, and the Saints aren't particularly likely to let him go. Fans around the league can get excited about him going somewhere, but it looks like a waste of time to me.)
Kirk Cousins. Talked about this one already. He's going to be the league's highest-paid player when free agency opens. My prediction is Denver and I'll stick with that, but Arizona and Minnesota are also good possibilities, and some believe Cleveland will woo him with all their cap space (so they can front-load a contract) and draft picks (to build a better team around him). I'll stick with Denver.
Case Keenum. I'm not certain why Minnesota wouldn't bring Keenum back. Yes he bounced around some at the start of his career, but he led the team to the NFC's second-best record, completed one of the greatest passes in NFL playoff history, and has shown proficiency in the offense. Wasn't Minnesota's inability to stop the Eagles offense the main story of the championship game loss? Anyway, I like Keenum. If the Vikings sign Cousins, I think Keenum is the best fallback for another team, perhaps Buffalo or something.
Nick Foles. Eagles have him under contract for next year, and if they think Carson Wentz won't be ready in September, they should keep him. But they might also want to trade him while they can, and if so he's a pretty appealing quarterback option. I could very easily see him in Arizona or Denver -- whoever loses out on Cousins. One would think the Eagles might want to trade him to the AFC (as opposed to an NFC rival like Minnesota), although Arizona is probably a possibility too.
Tyrod Taylor. Ian talks about him elsewhere on the site. Surely there's some team out there that finds him more appealing than Buffalo does. It's hard for me to see some team investing heavily in him, but it only takes one team to fall in love with a quarterback's potential.
AJ McCarron. McCarron played very little in Cincinnati and is 27 years old. But Hue Jackson loves him and wanted to trade for him last year, and for some earthly reason Jackson still apparently has some pull in the Browns decision-making process; must be that thrilling victory he coached the team to over the past two seasons. McCarron put together some serviceable games back in 2015, but given the flops of Brock Osweiler and Mike Glennon the last two seasons, I think teams will be careful before handing McCarron a lot of guaranteed money. Most likely the Browns sign him and also draft somebody with the 1st or 4th pick, then spend the season benching one or the other until Jackson gets fired at the end of the season.
Sam Bradford. Given the issues with Bradford's knees last season, it's hard for me to see any team hitching their wagon to Bradford as a starter, unless they also have a quality Plan B for if and when Bradford breaks down. When healthy, he's certainly proved capable, but how long can he stay healthy? He's going to sign a one-year deal somewhere, maybe Arizona? And that team will need to sign somebody else or use a high pick on a passer, as well.
Teddy Bridgewater. Am thinking Bridgewater stays put in Minnesota. Some question as to whether he'll be unrestricted, and certainly nobody else has seen enough out of him the last few years to sign him for respectable money. I would think he'll be Plan B for Minnesota backing up whoever they sign to start.
Josh McCown. Whatever team decides not to wade too deeply into the quarterback market and instead drafts one with a high pick and wants to groom him for a year will sign McCown. With the exception of Cleveland, who's been there and done that, and McCown probably wouldn't want to revisit that situation either. Returning to the Jets makes the most sense, unless they're the ones that sign Cousins.
--Andy Richardson