Cleveland Browns: Would AJ McCarron make sense at quarterback?

The Cleveland Browns are still on their search for a quarterback. Could their eyes turn to Cincinnati quarterback AJ McCarron?

The Cleveland Browns have multiple options – and even more assets – available as they continue their attempt to finally solve the quarterback crisis.

While it would be simple enough to select a quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft, or wait to see who might be available in free agency, the Browns have also been linked to a quarterback via a trade, most notably New England Patriots backup Tom Brady.

It has become a fait accompli among the media and some Browns fans that the Browns will hand over one of their first-round picks (either No. 12 or No. 1, take your pick) to acquire Garoppolo. After all, he’s the “best available” quarterback (unless the Patriots have no intention of trading him) and has spent the past three seasons with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

But what if there is an equally good – and cheaper – option just a few hours south on I-71?

The Cincinnati Bengals are in a similar situation to the Patriots. They have an established starting quarterback in Andy Dalton and a backup entering the final year of his rookie contract in AJ McCarron.

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Since the Bengals “can’t re-sign” McCarron and “must trade him,” why should’t the Browns give the Bengals a call?

McCarron has a slight edge in experience over Garoppolo after having started four games – including one playoff game. McCarron has completed 64 percent of his passes, thrown for 1,066 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

His big edge is his familiarity with current Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who was Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator when McCarron took over for an injured Dalton in 2015.

There has also been absolutely no talk of how a team would have to give up a first-round pick (and more!) in a potential deal for McCarron, making him extremely attractive to a team that wants to maximize value the way the Browns do.

McCarron hasn’t received as much attention as Garoppolo because he plays in Cincinnati, but that is starring to turn as people realize that the Patriots may have no intention of trading Garoppolo.

“I wouldn’t feel good about making a major commitment to any of these quarterbacks,” one NFL personnel executive told NFL.com. “If I had to choose one, I would go after McCarron. Ideally, you get him for a late second- or early third-round pick. Then, if it doesn’t work out, you draft a QB in 2018.”

There are a few obstacles standing in the way of a Jackson-McCarron reunion in Cleveland, however.

The first is that while his contract is up after the 2017 season, McCarron will be a restricted free agent because he did not accrue enough active games to count toward free agency. So unlike the Patriots, the Bengals don’t really “have to trade” McCarron anytime soon.

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The second is that, while Jackson and Cincinnati head coach are friends, the Bengals may not be open to the idea of helping out a division rival.

And in the quarterback-starved NFL, you are only one injury away from having a major problem at the position, a lesson the Bengals learned in 2015.

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