Cincinnati Bengals NFL Trade Rumors: AJ McCarron Is Available for Trade but He Won't Come Cheap
Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron hardly played last season, but he has already proven that he can handle the starting role. When Andy Dalton went down with a thumb injury during the tail end of the 2015 season, McCarron stepped up admirably when he started the final three games for the Bengals. Now, opposing teams are eyeing him as a potential starting quarterback and he may be available.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin spoke about McCarron at the National Football League (NFL) scouting combine and he said they were willing to listen to offers for the quarterback. However, he's not going to come cheap.
"The phones in our office work. They always work. I've got an interest in listening to any of you that want to talk," Tobin said during the interview, according to ESPN.
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"We're not actively looking to diminish our football team by trading AJ McCarron, and that diminishes our football team. It has to be something we feel is valuable enough to warrant doing that. What it is, I don't know. Who it is to, I don't know. It's not ideal to trade guys within your division, particularly at that position. But we listen," he continued.
It's clear that the Bengals aren't actively shopping McCarron around the league. They are not in any rush to move him and they probably won't mind keeping him if teams fail to put together an offer that makes sense for them.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Bengals wanted a first-round draft pick in return in any deal involving McCarron last season. The asking price for the quarterback isn't going to get any lower this season with Dalton repeatedly talking about how valuable he is to the team.
McCarron has one year left on his rookie contract and he will be a restricted free agent after the 2017 season.
