On Thursday, Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron scored two victories against his employer. The most notable, of course, is that he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The other W came in the way of restitution for the year he spent on the non-football injury (NFI) list. McCarron will recoup his lost salary for that time, but the Bengals will not be fined for the move, Mike Florio of PFT reports. 
“The NFL Management Council represented the club in the grievance,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said via email.
When asked whether this means that the league agreed with the team’s decision to place McCarron on the NFI list in 2014, McCarthy responded in the affirmative. McCarron did not agree with the decision, of course, and an arbitrator sided with him against the team.
The Bengals drafted the Alabama product in 2014 and placed him on the NFI list at the start of training camp due to a shoulder injury. McCarron later argued that he was healthy enough to come off of NFI during camp, but the Bengals did not activate him until December of that year. Placing McCarron on the NFI list allowed the Bengals to effectively stash an extra player on the roster and also gave them grounds to argue that he did not accrue a full year of service time that would allow him to reach UFA status in 2018.
McCarron is now set for unfettered free agency, where he figures to make a whole lot more than the one-year, ~$4MM tender he likely would have gotten from the Bengals.
Oh, they’ll face a big penalty if he goes to Cleveland and has success.
Touche’
“team’s decision to place McCarron on the NFI list in 2004,”
I believe you meant 2014.
AJ mcCarron will not be free agents after season and i think not replace him if you are big bengals fan keep our QB in Cincinnati
What?
Exactly what I was going to say!
AJ McCarron will not be free agent until after this year of 2018 season and need to play this year and he need be with bengals 4 years to be free agent hope you said to NFL today for me thank you lot to me
Hooked on Phonics worked for me…
Hehehehe….
Lmaoooo
What the heck did I just read? Isn’t this the same guy that said McDaniels was still gonna go to Indy after it was reported he backed out?
I could be wrong but I believe this person is trying to say “he can’t be a free agent because he hasn’t played 4 seasons, he also needs to play for the Bengals.” And I think he wants someone from the site to call “NFL Today” and say hi for him and he’s gonna thank you. Could be wrong
I be read this and think to me that me not get you say there so thank you lot to you
is anyone else laughing uncontrollable at this as much as I am I am sorry but ComeOnMan!!
I am! Surprised it doesn’t contain a link for one of those work at home jobs.
From what I can tell IURULES is also the creator of the article.
“McCarron is now set for unfettered free agency”
un·fet·ter
ˌənˈfedər/Submit
verb
past tense: unfettered; past participle: unfettered
release from restraint or inhibition.
LOL get ’em Zach!
The NFL siding with a team and not a player… shocker.
They sided with the player they gave him free agency. Every team buries rookies on the injured reserve list kind of like a red shirt season.