AJ McCarron has a new home. The Buffalo Bills traded their offseason quarterback signing to the Oakland Raiders on the verge of the roster cutdown deadline Saturday. Ian Rapoport had the news first, and Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News followed up with his own sourcing.
McCarron was in the mix to start the season with Buffalo’s first string after signing a one-year deal, but an injury suffered against the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game allowed Nate Peterman and rookie Josh Allen to showcase their talents. McCarron returned to action in time to play the entirety of Buffalo’s final preseason game, where he led a dramatic comeback victory, 28-27, over the Chicago Bears. He threw three touchdown passes and rushed for one more as part of the fourth quarter comeback.
The Raiders were said to be uncomfortable with backup quarterback EJ Manuel and the remaining quarterback depth behind Derek Carr, and McCarron gives them a low-cost insurance policy for their franchise QB.
Sadly, Khalil Mack wasn’t involved in this deal, having been traded to the Bears Saturday morning.
UPDATE: Per Adam Schefter, the Bills received a 5th round pick from the Raiders in exchange for McCarron. It’s unknown whether the pick is in 2019 or 2020.