AJ McCarron is going to be a free agent this offseason. He won his grievance with the Bengals according to Ian Rapoport.
My initial thoughts:
I'm happy for McCarron. He's wanted a chance to see if he could be a starter in the NFL and he is going to get it. The Bengals will still likely get some sort of compensation for him, but it won't be anything close to their asking price.
They nearly traded McCarron to the Browns for 2nd and 3rd round picks at the trade deadline. With this ruling, the Bengals will have to settle for a compensatory pick. It makes you wonder if they should've tried to trade him sooner?
It does mean the Bengals will need a new backup quarterback. Maybe they consider drafting one? They're projected to have 10 draft picks in April's draft. I discussed McCarron on yesterday's Locked on Bengals podcast, which you can listen to below.