Battlehawks releasing McCarron

[MarkNelson]

What is their move here? Do they think McCarron is done, or is he asking for more money?

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

I have to assume either retirement or (less likely) an NFL offer. He's 34 and coming off a nasty leg injury.

Gotta say, I just turned off my X account yesterday and sports news like this is the one thing I miss about being there. Neither of the competitors really match it (Bluesky still doesn't have the institutional content or sports community yet, Threads has no chronological sort for the main feed).

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

Frederickson's column, BTW (paywalled)
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/column/ ... ome-sports

[Joker]

I was able to read the article using Incognito mode:

The most appealing job in the United Football League is open. Wide open.

That's my forward-looking takeaway from Friday's news that the St. Louis Battlehawks have parted ways with quarterback A.J. McCarron.

Once the shock of page turning on a fan favorite subsides, the opportunity comes into clearer focus. It's a risk, sure. But maybe it pays off.

If you are a talented quarterback trying to prove to the NFL that it needs to take another look at you, why not prioritize playing for a player-friendly coach who wants to put up a lot of points in a home venue that does a pretty good NFL gameday impression?

Anthony Becht runs an NFL-like offense. He has as many NFL connections as any UFL coach. In two seasons with the Battlehawks, he's taken the spring league team from playoff snub to the cusp of competing for the league championship. Winning it all is his goal now, and he now has plenty of time to recruit the right quarterback to get it done. And don't forget, he was the one who recruited McCarron to the Battlehawks in the first place.

"Our system translates to about 15 of the top NFL systems out there," Becht said about his hybrid West Coast offense. "That's where we develop. That's what we do. If quarterbacks are looking to advance and learn a proper system so it translates correctly, this is an opportunity for them to reach out if they are not on the list we are looking at."

For a young, talented quarterback who, for example, can't seem to find his way off an NFL practice squad, this should be a compelling pitch. This opening should recruit itself, and now there’s no fear of a known name looking over the new guy's shoulder.

The Battlehawks on Friday released McCarron, the former Alabama college football star who won over fans with his familiar name and glowing praise of St. Louis during his time with the team. McCarron’s personality and the fanfare it created may be hard to replace. Let’s not underestimate that here. Becht certainly doesn't.

McCarron helped the relaunched Battlehawks feel big. He truly embraced The Lou. The images of his kids loving on him after games at The Dome are part of the Battlehawks’ feel-good fabric. And like his Alabama teams, his Battlehawks did a lot more winning than losing. Especially at home, which was a key to keeping The Dome rocking. His football future is undetermined at the moment, but he always should be appreciated here by those who were thrilled to see professional football return post-Rams.

"Super, super grateful and thankful A.J. decided to come with us two years ago," Becht said. "When I recruited him, he didn't know much about the league. I was like, one year. Get him in. Get him back to the NFL, where he belonged. And that's what happened. He made it to the Bengals. Then the following season, he wanted to come back. So, we ran it back and tried to win a championship. One year became a bonus year. Now, let's find another guy we can help develop, do something different. A.J. has been awesome. He was the guy we wanted. Now, we want to give somebody else a chance. I know the fanbase loves him. We love him. But it's time to see what else we can do out there."

Let's not pretend that McCarron’s production on the field could be impossible to top. His toughness was on display as he tried to battle through an ankle injury last season, but his performance declined compared to the season before, and this time he would be returning on a surgically repaired ankle at the age of 34. There were times last season, like when backup Manny Wilkins stepped in and helped the Battlehawks clinch their playoff berth, when it was fair to wonder if Wilkins should have played even more. The Battlehawks still have the rights to Wilkins and Brandon Silvers. Logistically, it's unlikely a current college quarterback starts in the UFL. As for stalled draft picks from previous years currently rusting away on NFL rosters, however, Becht has a message.

"If you have been on the practice squad for a couple years, what are you doing?" Becht said. "You're sitting there. You're running scout team. You probably need to show the NFL what you can do. Our offense translates. This is the platform to do it."

Becht has earned the benefit of the doubt. He convinced McCarron to come give the UFL a shot, and it worked out pretty great. Now he gets to go recruit another QB, this time with a lot more to sell. The UFL really is sending guys into (or back into) the NFL. It's saving and relaunching careers. And if you want people to, you know, actually watch you play, St. Louis is the place.

"We do have a short list of players we really like," Becht said, declining to name names. "We are going to take some time, go through the process and find the right piece. We did this early because it was the right thing to do for A.J., in case he wants to continue to play. And for us, I would tell the fanbase to just trust me."

Seeing last season end one win shy of competing for the league championship has motivated Becht even more. UFL Kickoff weekend starts March 28. Who takes the first snap for the Battlehawks is TBD, but it’s hard to imagine some talented QBs not being interested in trying to pick up where McCarron left off. I loved how McCarron meshed here, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not interested in who's interested.

"If you're looking at it from the outside in, you may be thinking, man, really rolling the dice there," Becht said. "But I trust my staff, the players we have and the quarterbacks that we are looking at. Whoever we decide to sign, we are going to have continued success. The goal is to win a championship, ASAP. That's been it since day one. We've taken a step every year. Now it's time to take another step."

 

[MarkNelson]

McCarron weighs in somewhat cryptically.  I guess you can check out the podcast link on Monday for more details.

[Coffeeeyes]

My guess is he wanted a bigger paycheck or he was the highest paid player in the UFL and they didn’t think the juice was worth the squeeze.

Hasnt regressed and NFL decisions aren’t coming in en masse for him, so that’s the only way it makes sense 

[GregParks]

Yeah, strange situation all around. Maybe we'll have more clarity after AJ speaks on Monday. Or maybe it'll be more confusing. What we're left with, for now, is the Battlehawks with zero quarterbacks currently on their roster and giving up the rights to arguably the best one in the league without knowing if he plans to come back in 2025 or not. 

[4th&long]

Could AJ be moving to Birm ? 

Stallions attendance spiked when AJ played in Birm.  Could this be a UFL maneuver?

Just a thought as UFL may be pulling out all the stops on improving the league's performance.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

Could AJ be moving to Birm ? 

Stallions attendance spiked when AJ played in Birm.  Could this be a UFL maneuver?

Just a thought as UFL may be pulling out all the stops on improving the league's performance.

Not looking likely.

"I've had some s**t go down like from the s**t talking standpoint because the UFL and the XFL, opposing teams fly on the same plane. You want to talk about some s**t. You either whoop their ass or they whoop your ass on the field and then you're getting on the same plane.""If it weren't for my kids, I remember getting on the plane for the first time not knowing we were all flying together and we were the home team, so the opposing team goes on first. So I'm going on the plane and I was one of the first ones on. I sit towards the front and I'm like looking back there and I'm like 'it's the f**king other team, like what are we doing'. I'm like if I didn't love my kids, I would've walked off and retired then. I was like I didn't sign up for this s**t."

https://www.si.com/fannation/ufl/ufl-ne ... j-mccarron

It seems like he's done with the UFL for good now.

[GregParks]

The UFL obviously isn't perfect and I'm sure there are a lot of things to complain about from a player standpoint...but flying on the same plane as your opponent seems like an odd hill to die on.