St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Bengals QB had good reason for choosing XFL over NFL

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/24/23

A.J. McCarron had more lucrative offers on the table to stay in the NFL as a backup quarterback, but the 32-year-old signal caller chose to forgo a larger paycheck to be the QB of the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL relaunch so his three children could watch their father play, particularly his oldest son.

“My 6-year-old loves watching tape of me on YouTube,” McCarron told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “That’s a big reason I chose to return this way. I probably could’ve tried to come back with an NFL team and had a chance to probably made bigger money, but no one knows what the future holds. I’m enjoying this and it’s a great way to create some memories for me and my boys."

Remember your why pic.twitter.com/Lt9PosajJa
— St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) February 24, 2023

A fifth-round pick of the Bengals in the 2014 NFL Draft, McCarron also had stints with the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. He had a 2-2 record as a starter in the NFL, passing for 1,173 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.

McCarron, who last played in the NFL for the Falcons in 2021 (though seeing no regular-season action), has led the Battlehawks to back-to-back, come-from-behind wins. St. Louis is the only 2-0 team in the XFL.

He ranks second in the XFL in passing yards (374), and he’s tied for the league lead in touchdown passes (three). He’s also the only starting QB to not throw an interception this season.

“Ever since I come out of college, I’ve been kind of counted out a little bit,” McCarron recently said after St. Louis’ second win. “It’s just fun to come out here and play. I miss playing, not always just being a backup. And that’s a great living, it really is, and I absolutely love it. But I love playing. This is special and I can’t thank the XFL enough.”

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