The Cincinnati Bengals made what looked to be a surprising move Wednesday afternoon in releasing quarterback AJ McCarron .
McCarron was scheduled to be a free agent next month, and even if he wasn’t expected to re-sign with the club, there was no clear reason why Cincinnati would release him out of the blue.
As it turns out, McCarron was the one who wanted out of his contract, and for good reason.
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Per Howard Balzer of PHNX Sports , McCarron requested his release in order to re-sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks, the XFL/UFL team he played for last spring.
McCarron made headlines a year ago with an MVP season for St. Louis. The former Bengals draft pick from 2014 led the XFL in completion percentage (68.8) and touchdown passes (24) in 2023, the latter being a single-season XFL record.
Those numbers helped McCarron get an NFL gig again for the first time in three years. He joined the Bengals’ practice squad and was later elevated to the active roster. He ended up playing in two games during the latter part of the 2023 season.