AJ McCarron is back where his NFL journey started.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, the former St. Paul’s Episcopal and Alabama quarterback was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad fresh off an MVP season in the XFL.

With the 164th overall selection of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected McCarron with a fifth-round pick and the former Crimson Tide signal-caller went on to start three games as a rookie. He played the next two seasons in Cincinnati before one with the Oakland Raiders and two with the Houston Texans.

McCarron returned to professional football this past spring with the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks where he led the league with 24 passing touchdowns and a 68.8% completion rate over nine games. His 203 completions and 2,150 passing yards were second-best in the XFL.

With McCarron’s signature, he became the 68th player to sign professional contracts since the conclusion of the XFL regular season on April 23.

Back with the Bengals, McCarron was added to the practice squad, along with Reid Sinnett, since starting quarterback Joe Burrow has been dealing with a calf injury to start his fourth season.

Burrow was questionable entering Monday night’s game against the Chargers earlier this week but helped earn a 19-16 Bengal victory. This week, the Cincinnati starter has fully participated in practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Should McCarron return to the XFL next season, the St. Louis Battlehawks will have retained the rights to add him to their roster.

XFL, USFL announce merger

The 2024 XFL season could look quite different after a Thursday announcement that the league intends to merge with the United States Football League (USFL), pending approval. Similar to the XFL, the USFL previously competed from 1983-86 before being revitalized in 2022.

“Subject to customary regulatory approvals and if the transaction is consummated, the new league will establish best-in-class operations based on the most recent seasons of both leagues,” the leagues announced on Sept. 28. “This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together.”

The statement closed that further details on the merger will come at a later date which may leave some Baldwin County alumni in limbo after their XFL seasons.

Gulf Shores’ Brandon Silvers, quarterback for the Houston Roughnecks, and Spanish Fort’s Trae Barry, long snapper and tight end for the D.C. Defenders, both held roster spots in the 2023 XFL season and are still featured on their teams’ websites.

League breakdowns

Both leagues played a 10-week regular season before a divisional championship game produced the two teams that fought for the final trophy. The XFL season kicked off on Feb. 18 before its championship game on May 13 and the USFL opened on April 15 before its title contest on July 1.

Owned by Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners, the XFL features eight teams in five states as well as the nation’s capital, including Texas (Arlington, Houston and San Antonio), Nevada (Las Vegas), Florida (Orlando), Washington (Seattle) and Missouri (St. Louis) in addition to Washington D.C.

The USFL is owned by National Spring Football League Enterprises Co. LLC, a subsidiary of Fox Corporation, and features eight teams representing seven states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee. However, all regular-season games this season were played at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ford Field in Detroit, Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee or Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.