Jim Owczarski

jowczarski@enquirer.com

In January, AJ McCarron said goodbyes to Cincinnati Bengals staffers and local media members “just in case.”

In April, he was back at his locker in Paul Brown Stadium with the only change being a new beard. He remains the backup quarterback for the Bengals, and he reiterated that it’s a role he’s more than willing to accept in 2017.

“When you get to this level, it’s one thing you can’t control and there’s no reason to be pissed off about it or worry about it – it’s out of your control,” he said. “It’s not like it’s my contract year and I’m trying to negotiate or anything like that. I’m under contract here and like I’ve said in interviews before, if nothing did happen I’d be here when I’m supposed to be here and I’ve come to do my job to the best of my ability.

“That’s what I’m going to do and that’s what I’ve always done. I love this game and I love being around the guys. So, I’m just ready to have fun.”

Bengals players grapple with uncertain futures

McCarron is considered a restricted free agent following the 2017 season, though he has filed a motion with the league to have his rookie year considered an accrued season toward free agency.

As it stands, he will be a restricted free agent in 2018. Should McCarron win his motion, he would become an unrestricted free agent.

McCarron said Monday that decision will not come down until 2018, and The Enquirer confirmed with another league source that will likely be the case.

“It’s just something they’re going to fight on their side and I’m going to fight on my side to prove why I shouldn’t have to have another year,” he said. “It is what it is. It’s what the lawyers and all that will fix out. We’ll see what happens.”

There have been reports out of Cleveland that say the Browns are interested in the quarterback but as of last week, The Enquirer had learned from a league source that no formal discussions between the clubs had taken place about McCarron.

When asked directly if he ever thought about publicly demanding a trade, McCarron demurred.

“Like I said, as a competitor you want to play. It’s just in you,” he said. “I’m a huge competitor, no matter what I’m playing. I’ve always been that way. I want to play. But, like I said, these are the circumstances and it’s something I can’t control. So there’s no reason to really worry about it, think about it, because then it spills over into life outside of football and it could affect your marriage or relationships with people. I don’t want that. I try to keep it; my mindset is football and everything else and just enjoy it. A lot of people wish they could be in my, in any of our shoes, my shoes talking from my point of view, to get paid the amount of money we get paid to play a game. So I love it.

“I’m at peace with it. It is what it is.”

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