The Bengals have said they value quarterback A.J. McCarron “quite a bit.” Apparently, “quite a bit” has a number.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Bengals likely want at least a second-round pick for McCarron. The former Alabama quarterback started three regular-season games and one postseason game in 2015 after Andy Dalton suffered a broken thumb, and he nearly pushed the Bengals to a bye and, later, to the franchise’s first playoff win since 1991.
But Dalton remains the franchise quarterback, and the Bengals can either get something in trade for him now or see him leave via free agency next year.
It’s believed that the Vikings called the Bengals last year about McCarron after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a devastating knee injury, but that the Bengals wanted too much for McCarron. Whether another team gives the Bengals what they currently want for him now remains to be seen.