The Texans’ meeting with A.J. McCarron looks set to produce a signed contract. McCarron and the Texans are finalizing an agreement that would make him their new backup quarterback, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
McCarron agreed to a one-year deal worth $3MM, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle notes (on Twitter).
Released by the Raiders last week, McCarron will land with his fourth AFC team in barely a year. But it appears the longtime backup will land on his feet, being set to work behind Deshaun Watson. Earlier this offseason, the Raiders indicated a desire to retain McCarron as Derek Carr‘s backup. But the former Bengals, Bills (sort of) and Raiders quarterback will likely head to Houston.
It has been a strange few years for McCarron. In 2015, he started a few games in Andy Dalton‘s stead and showed some promise. Then, last March, he appeared to finally be on his way toward becoming an NFL starter when he hooked on with the Bills.
Ultimately, he did not impress in his competition alongside Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen and was shipped to the Raiders. For the bulk of 2018, he held the clipboard and watched Derek Carr go 4-12 in his 16 starts. Since his work for the most recent Bengal playoff team, McCarron has attempted just 17 passes. Three came last season.
The Texans still have Joe Webb on their roster, but he contributes in other facets beyond the usual backup-QB job description. Houston will not bring back Brandon Weeden, according to McClain (on Twitter). Despite Watson taking a league-high 62 sacks and having suffered a torn ACL midway through his rookie season, he played all 16 games last year and took every snap.
Time is running out for McCarron to forge a career as a starter. I’m surprised the Redskins didn’t roll the dice on McCarron given their Tide connections.