Green Responds to Ejection
- One of the many brawls as a part pf today’s slate of games came from an incident between Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Green. After Ramsey pushed one of the league’s best receivers after the whistle, Green unleashed a flurry of punches onto the Jaguars second-year defensive back, which prompted both sidelines into a shoving match. Both Green and Ramsey were ejected after the scuffle. However, Green was apologetic about the incident after the loss, as Michael DiRocco and Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com pass along. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I apologize to my teammates, [Bengals owner Mike] Brown, and everybody, because that’s not who I am. It just got the best of me today.” We’ll see how the league reacts to the situation as a suspension could be in order given the severity of Green’s reaction.
Bengals Would Use First-Round Tender On A.J. McCarron?
Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron is filing a grievance against his team in an effort to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Cincinnati drafted him in 2014 and placed him on the non-football injury (NFI) list at the start of training camp that year due to a shoulder injury, and McCarron contends that he was healthy enough to come off the NFI list during training camp. The Bengals, however, did not activate him until December 9, 2014, so he did not accrue a season of service time.
As such, he is currently scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2017 campaign, meaning that the Bengals would have the right of first refusal if another club signed him to an offer sheet. And, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Cincinnati plans to use a first-round tender on McCarron if he loses his grievance and remains a restricted free agent.
The first-round tender amount in 2017 was just shy of $4MM, which is not an enormous expense for a coveted signal-caller, especially since the Bengals owe their starting QB, Andy Dalton, a non-guaranteed $13.7MM salary in 2018. However, as Schefter notes, a first-round tender would make it difficult for another team to simply sign McCarron to an offer sheet, as such a team would need to send a first-round draft choice to Cincinnati if the Bengals refused to match the offer sheet.
Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, though, says it is likely the Bengals would use a second-round tender on McCarron, and that the team could simply elect to match any offer he receives as a restricted free agent and then try to trade him. Of course, if McCarron wins his grievance, it is highly unlikely he returns to Cincinnati, and the Bengals would probably net a 2019 third-round compensatory choice if/when he signs elsewhere.
Interestingly, Schefter writes that the Browns, who bungled the opportunity to trade for McCarron last week, could also attempt to pursue Dalton via trade this offseason.
Bengals Sign K Marshall Koehn
With Randy Bullock questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Jaguars, the Bengals have added another kicker to the active roster. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed Marshall Koehn. To make room on the roster, the Bengals waived safety Derron Smith (via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer on Twitter).
Bullock was limited throughout the week, and he missed practice on Wednesday. Despite dealing with a back issue, the 27-year-old has been relatively efficient this season. Bullock has connected on all 14 of his extra point attempts as well as eight of his ten field goal attempts. Koehn, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Iowa, has yet to make an NFL appearance, but he converted two of his three field goal attempts while playing with the Vikings during the preseason. He connected on nearly 78-percent of his field goal attempts and 96-percent of his extra point attempts during his collegiate career.
Smith joined the Bengals organization as a fifth-round pick in 2015. He appeared in 31 games during his two-plus seasons with the organization, but he only made three appearances this year.
Details On McCarron's Future
- A.J. McCarron‘s future will depend on a pending grievance regarding his free agency status. The Bengals backup quarterback is arguing that he should be an unrestricted free agent, but time spent on the NFI list could earn him the restricted tag. Cincinnati had a deal in place with the Browns for the quarterback, but the trade was rejected by the NFL.
[SOURCE LINK]
Latest On Botched A.J. McCarron Trade
It has already been widely reported that the Browns botched a trade for Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron, but information is still coming out about exactly what made the deal fall through. In a piece from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, she explains some of the background behind the negotiations. Kabot states that the main problem behind the failed trade, apart from being sent to the league past the deadline, was that the documents of each team failed to match. Cabot reports that the conditions of the trade were not explained equally on both sides, which meant that the deal would have fallen through even if the deal was made within the desired time frame.
Kabot’s article dives deeper into the failed trade, stating that Bengals owner Mike Brown was the “driving force” behind McCarron being shipped to a division rival. However, this wasn’t a sign of distaste for the backup signal caller, rather Kabot explains that Brown actually wanted to put McCarron in a situation where he could play. While Kabot clarifies that not all of the Bengals front office was on board with the move, she relays from a source inside the league that, “no one in the Bengals’ organization was standing in the way of getting it done.”
Kabot’s article also touches on the logistics of the trade, with it having been called dead and then alive once again within the hour of the trade deadline. She also explains that sources in the NFL believe the Bengals did the right think in submitting their own paperwork after they had received the Browns materials too late.
However, through all the chaos McCarron remains a Bengal and addressed the media through the team’s website about how he’s handling the situation.
“I’m not angry. I’m not upset. It feels good to be wanted,” McCarron said. “Today I’m going to thank Mr. Brown personally. I admire that he was going to give me an opportunity to go start and play somewhere. I really appreciate that of him. He’s been an unbelievable owner in my experience here.”
In addition to the fiasco that unfolded a few days ago, the backup quarterback is also dealing with a contract dispute regarding whether he should be a restricted free agent at season’s end. But, McCarron seems to have taken his current situation in stride.
“The biggest thing it does, I have been through a lot of mind games,” McCarron said. “I think it makes you mentally tougher. Stronger. Let’s you see all the crazy sides of this business in a short amount of time. Just in my year-long of experienced a lot guys who have been in the league 10 years haven’t experienced. Just by hearing your name and you are, you might be, but like I said, I am blessed to be in my situation and enjoying every minute of it.”
It remains to be seen what will unfold in the coming months for one of the league’s most intriguing number two signal callers. All we do know is that he’s been put in a unique situation and will remain in the same role he started the season, as the backup behind Andy Dalton.
Browns Ownership Goes “Nuclear” On Front Office After Trade Mishap
The biggest story from a loaded trade deadline is looking like it was a deal that didn’t happen. Both of Ohio’s NFL teams are dealing with the fallout, one far more than the other.
A disconnect between the Browns’ front office and the coaching staff has long been reported, but now ownership has stepped in after the front office appears to have bungled a trade for Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron. Specifically, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports Dee Haslam went “nuclear” on the Browns’ front office on Wednesday.
The Bengals would have sent McCarron to Cleveland for second- and third-round draft choices, but several reports have noted the Browns did not send in the necessary paperwork in time. McCarron remains a Bengal, and this latest report lends further weight to the Browns having made a seminal mistake on Tuesday.
Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports the Browns contacted the Bengals on Tuesday morning about McCarron’s availability, and the Bengals lowered their asking price to second- and third-round picks. Mike Brown and Sashi Brown were on the phone at around 2:10pm CT, with the latter attempting to convince the Bengals boss to drop the asking price. Mike Brown, per Terrell, held firm by saying this was a good price for an intra-division trade. Terrell adds the Browns then pointed out the 49ers’ deal to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo — who was viewed as a higher-end Cleveland target than McCarron this offseason — only took a second-round pick, prompting Mike Brown to repeat his stance about not being in business of assisting a division rival.
Mike Brown, per Terrell, told Sashi Brown to call back in a few minutes after thinking over the deal. But a call from the Browns saying they would accept the deal didn’t come until 45 minutes later, with around five minutes to the deadline.
The Bengals scrambled to get the paperwork in but managed to send their documentation to the league, with Terrell adding an email coming from Sashi Brown’s assistant — the unfamiliar name on the email adding to the confusion — went unnoticed during this frenzy. Noting teams often check with each other to see if they receive pivotal emails of this sort, Terrell adds this did not happen during the accelerated process.
However, Terrell notes the Bengals having seen this email wouldn’t have mattered since the Browns needed to send signed documentation to the NFL as well.
“All you have to do is notify the league office you are making a deal. That’s an easy thing,” Marvin Lewis said, via Terrell, who reports the Bengals did have a league rep on the phone while they were completing the agreement. “We spoke to a person in there.”
A league source informed Terrell there’s uncertainty about the Browns’ intent on making this trade, adding that there might have been a disconnect between the front office and coaching staff regarding this transaction. The source pointed out how much time elapsed between Mike Brown-Sashi Brown phone conversations as evidence. This comes after cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported Hue Jackson was on board with this trade Tuesday.
Florio reports seven teams have told PFT the Browns and Bengals should have separately contacted the NFL about the terms of this trade.
“Only requirement is for both clubs to separately notify the league office via email of trade terms. If trade terms match, deal done,” a source emailed Florio. “No need to sign paperwork and submit prior. Have 15 days to submit trade papers (with terms that identically match emails).”
These latest revelations figure to add to what’s been one of the more dysfunctional setups in recent NFL memory. And with the 0-8 Browns (1-23 since this new regime began work) considering personnel changes, this will not help convince ownership this arrangement can continue as is.
Latest On Bungled A.J. McCarron Trade
The Bengals and Browns had a deal in place to send A.J. McCarron to Cleveland, but the trade did not go through. More came out as to why McCarron is still in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Ohio’s NFL teams discussed this deal throughout the day, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports, with a source informing the Browns-embedded reporter it wasn’t certain the Browns wanted to complete the deal — one that would have sent McCarron to Cleveland for second- and third-round picks.
The Browns agreed to the Bengals’ terms just before the deadline, but several sources confirmed to Cabot Adam Schefter of ESPN.com’s report of the Browns not getting the necessary paperwork to the league in time. Separate emailed agreements to the league constitute a trade, and Cabot reports the Browns’ signed document didn’t go to the league in time. (The Browns’ subsequent request to get the NFL to allow the trade failed.)
A source also informed Cabot the Browns emailed a signed trade agreement to the Bengals, expecting them to sign it and send it to the NFL. But a Bengals spokesman said, per Cabot, the team never received said email.
This stands to add to the discord between the front office and the coaching staff, because Hue Jackson pushed for this trade, Cabot reports. The second-year Browns coach made McCarron a priority target in the offseason after he realized his team wasn’t going to offer enough to pry Jimmy Garoppolo away from the Patriots. And Jackson was again behind a McCarron deal on Tuesday, with Cabot reporting the head coach wanted a veteran capable of winning games while mentoring DeShone Kizer.
McCarron, who went 2-1 as a starter in 2015 before starting in a wild-card loss to the Steelers, is under team control for two more years. But the fourth-year player is fighting for UFA status in hopes of reaching the market and becoming a potential starting option for a team in 2018. The 27-year-old quarterback has thrown just 119 NFL passes, but he worked with Jackson for two years prior to the coach leaving for the Browns’ HC job.
This certainly sends a signal the team doesn’t believe it can be in position to win many games with its current quarterback setup, which is understandable for a Browns operation that’s 1-23 since the new regime took over.
A McCarron addition would seemingly help the Jackson-led team win games this season, but it would not exactly be in line with the front office’s way of thinking. The Browns have made acquiring draft choices a priority, and the team giving up two Day 2 selections for a stopgap-type quarterback would seemingly constitute a change in organizational philosophy.
As it stands now, McCarron will be an RFA this offseason. He has an obvious known suitor but one whose interest level in employing the passer might not be fully known as a result of this saga.
A.J. McCarron Fighting For Unrestricted Free Agent Status
Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron found himself in the news this week when an oversight from the Browns prevented him from getting traded to Cleveland. But, he may have an opportunity to leave Cincinnati and join up with any team he chooses this spring. The NFLPA is fighting to change his status from restricted free agent to unrestricted free agent after the season, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Browns Botched A.J. McCarron Trade With Bengals]
Because he spent most of his rookie year on the non-football injury list, the Bengals say that he is an RFA. However, the union says that due to the nature and timing of the injury, he should not have been on the NFI list and should have four accrued seasons at the end of 2017 instead of only three.
If McCarron earns UFA status, he’ll be in for a much larger payday. The Bengals are already committed to Andy Dalton under center and it would be nearly impossible for them to commit top-20 QB money to McCarron, so he would almost certainly wind up somewhere else. Potentially, this could be Cleveland’s second chance to land the Alabama product, though McCarron might have some reservations about the Browns organization after Tuesday’s debacle.
Browns Botched A.J. McCarron Trade
The Browns almost landed quarterback A.J. McCarron from the Bengals before the trade deadline, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) reports. However, the two sides could not reach agreement before 4pm ET/3pm CT on Tuesday.
The two sides actually agreed to a McCarron trade at 3:55 pm ET/2:55pm CT, a source involved tells Schefter (on Twitter). The Bengals approved the trade with the league office in time, but the Browns did not. After the fact, the Browns argued to the NFL that the trade should be allowed, a source tells Schefter (Twitter links). The league refused, even though the Browns’ notification of the deal arrived just moments too late.
The proposed deal had the Browns sending a second-round pick and a third-round pick to the Bengals for McCarron, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The near-trade could be a sneak peak into the Browns’ offseason plans. McCarron is headed for restricted free agency in the spring, so Cleveland could theoretically make another run at him. Then again, given the way that the Bengals have valued McCarron in trade talks over the last couple of years, he could still be extremely costly.
In April, the Bengals told teams that they wanted a first-round pick for McCarron. The belief was that the Bengals were not all that interested in trading the backup QB and were simply naming an out-of-range price rather than rejecting offers outright. One unknown club did offer up a second-round choice for him. In a poll, many PFR readers speculated that it was the Browns who made that pitch. We know now that Browns coach Hue Jackson pushed hard for a reunion with McCarron.
McCarron has limited NFL experience after years of playing behind Andy Dalton, but he showed potential down the stretch in 2015 when Dalton was injured. The Browns saw him as someone who could be an upgrade over their murky QB situation, but they did not offer enough to get a deal done at the deadline. Their stockpile of picks remain untouched, but they missed out on an opportunity to spark the offense in the second half. The Browns have also made it clear to second-round pick DeShone Kizer that he is not viewed as the answer under center.
Jeremy Hill Changes Agencies
- Jeremy Hill‘s contract year is not going especially well, and the Bengals running back made an agency switch, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). Hill will now be represented by Joel Segal and Greg Barnett, per Owczarski. The fourth-year ball-carrier has just 113 rushing yards on 37 carries. He profiles as a possible trade candidate due to Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard being signed long-term. Hill rushed for at least 790 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, which would seemingly make him an intriguing free agent despite the role reduction this season.