What Are the Expectations for AJ McCarron in His Second Stint With the Bengals?

The memories began flooding AJ McCarron’s senses as soon as he arrived at Paycor Stadium on Saturday to work out for the Cincinnati Bengals, the team that drafted him nine years earlier.

But it wasn’t until two days later — after McCarron had signed to the practice squad and found himself standing on the field with the lights shining and a stadium full of people roaring for the 19-16 win against the Rams – that the déjà vu kicked into overdrive.

“That atmosphere reminded me of the playoff game against Pittsburgh, just running out and feeling the atmosphere,” McCarron said. “So that was special.”

What Will AJ McCarron’s Role Be for the Bengals?

McCarron remains a popular figure in Cincinnati, but he was seconds away from cementing himself as a legend after throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass to A.J. Green to put the Bengals on the cusp of ending a 25-season drought without a playoff victory.

But the Meltdown at Paul Brown ensued. Jeremy Hill fumbled. Vontaze Burfict concussed Antonio Brown. Pacman Jones shoved a ref. And Chris Boswell kicked a 35-yard field goal, lifting Pittsburgh to an 18-16 win and stealing what could have been the greatest moment in McCarron’s career.

AJ McCarron on the what ifs had his TD pass to A.J. Green stood up for a #Bengals wild-card win, plus his first impressions of Joe Burrow: pic.twitter.com/C9slQcOxIs

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) September 27, 2023

“You never know where your career would have gone if we win that game, the first playoff win since ’91 and all that,” McCarron said.

“But I don’t live life off of what ifs. I truly believe God’s got a plan for everything. Everything happens for a reason. I’ve been blessed. There’s a lot of people that can’t say they’ve (had) nine years in the league now. I’ve been blessed to play this game for a long, long time, and I’m just thankful to still be playing.”

The Bengals drafted McCarron in 2014, and it wasn’t until 2015 that he got a chance to play after Andy Dalton broke his right thumb in Week 14. McCarron went 2-1 as a starter to lead the Bengals to the AFC North title, but the Wild Card loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers is perhaps the most infamous moment in franchise history.

So many legacies were altered that night.

As much as returning to the organization has trigged memories, it also illustrated how much has changed around the facility since McCarron left after the 2017 season.

“The entrance looks the same, but going around the facility, seeing all the new stuff and the money they put into this, into the stadium, is awesome,” McCarron said.

“I was telling some of the younger guys, and even Joe (Burrow), and them like, ‘You don’t realize how nice you have it.’ The cafeteria used to be the weight room back when I was first drafted, and the players’ lounge was the kitchen where we cooked on burners. So it’s definitely changed, and it’s awesome to see.”

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The Bengals signed McCarron as an insurance policy in case Burrow has a setback. It will take several weeks before there is even a conversation about McCarron challenging Jake Browning for the backup job.

McCarron’s true value is what he brings to the locker and meeting rooms. He was a great backup for Dalton during his first four years in the league. Even when there was outside noise about McCarron being the starter, he stepped up and shut it down, throwing his full support behind Dalton and telling people to stop calling for change.

No one is going to be clamoring for Burrow to be benched, but McCarron will be an ideal sounding board for him and Browning.

“I’m here to help Joe, the rest of the guys in whatever way I can be a great teammate and then, you know, just enjoy the process because it flies by,” he continued. “It feels like yesterday I was in here when I was a rookie, and that’s nine years later. So it’s been a while.”