Bengals QB McCarron: 'I absolutely loved my time in Cincinnati'

AJ McCarron tried to stay busy Thursday.

He got a workout in, working on his dropbacks and getting in some throws. He went to lunch with his cousin. Anything to stay out of the house as he anxiously waited to hear if he would be allowed to hit the free agent market in March, or if he would once again have to wait for the Cincinnati Bengals to determine his status.

And after an entire day of running around, he thought he'd have to wait for at least one more. So he settled into his home theater room just before 5 p.m. ET when his lawyer called.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yeah!"

"You won!"

McCarron didn't believe him in that initial moment. He was stunned. Relieved. Thankful. And now, excited beyond words for a future that is now in his hands.

An independent arbitrator ruled that the 27-year-old won his grievance against the Bengals regarding their decision to place him on the non-football injury (NFI) list at the start of 2014.

He will now become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 14.

"It's just a blessing," he said. "I was going to be blessed either way because you're still in the league, you're still being able to play the game for a living, but it's just awesome just to be free now and to hopefully get that opportunity and be able to compete somewhere. That's all I've ever wanted. I'm just super excited. Just really excited that I get that opportunity now and I just can't wait to just showcase what I can do and show a team that I can lead a team and win ballgames."

More: An inside look at the AJ McCarron grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals

Get the latest Bengals news. Download our app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android users.

During his rookie year, the Bengals felt McCarron suffered a right shoulder injury away from the team and they put him on NFI. He didn’t practice until late November of that season and wasn’t active to play until early December. As a result, he did not accrue a season toward free agency and was considered a restricted free agent.

A year ago, McCarron filed a grievance to say he was wrongly listed back then and should actually be unrestricted.

McCarron, who will turn 28 early in the season, now becomes one of the more attractive free agent quarterbacks on the market behind Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins.

He could be signed by any number of teams to start or compete to start, in 2018.

"We're going to be open to everything," he said of his impending free agency. "I'm not the one -- the people that know me and truly know me, and my family knows -- it's not about the money for me. I just love playing football. Making the money is great but I just want to play. that's what I grew up on. that's what you're raised on. Like here in the south, you're raised to love football. It's not about money. I just want to play. Whoever gives me an opportunity. I'm not going to chase the huge contract and be put in a situation that I might not be one hundred percent comfortable with just because it's a lot more money or whatever. I want to go somewhere where I can win and help the team win and we have a bright future together. I'm just super excited for this next chapter."

The only way the Bengals could retain McCarron now would be to apply a transition or franchise tag to him, which is unlikely.

"It was never a personal issue at all," McCarron said. "I absolutely loved my time in Cincinnati. I got to start some really key games and had some awesome wins and just a part of so many awesome moments. It was really just a blessing to be drafted there. It really was."

McCarron said falling to the Bengals in the fifth-round was a blessing in disguise and was thankful to the Brown family, head coach Marvin Lewis and his former coaches. He also loved the city, as it was the first professional home for his young family.

"It really was an honor to play for that organization and something that I'll always remember and cherish for the remainder of my life," he said. "It really is. It was an honor to play for them."