Fans of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have gotten a dose of déjà vu in recent days after it was announced that the team would sign AJ McCarron to help in light of Joe Burrow’s ongoing injury concerns.
Some fans voiced their opinions, but perhaps none louder than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Posting about the development on Twitter/X, the XFL owner welcomed McCarron’s promotion to the NFL. Here’s how he put it:
“I love it. Congratulations AJ, I’ll be rooting for you this @NFL @Bengals season!! Thank you for being such a great leader for us in the @XFL2023 @XFLBattlehawks. Be great! #LeagueOfOpportunity #XFL”
AJ McCarron returns to Bengals for second stint
The XFL appears to be quickly slipping into the role of the NFL’s “Minor League,” and this is the latest example.
Just like teams in the MLB do, the Bengals decided to draft a player from another league if necessary instead of turning to existing players with recent NFL experience.
McCarron’s last NFL appearance came in 2020, when he appeared in two games for the Houston Texans. He completed one pass for 20 yards in those games.
The quarterback was originally selected by the Bengals in the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent three years with the team there before moving on to the Oakland Raiders. Then, in 2019, he arrived in Houston.
He did play for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2021 preseason, but suffered an injury and hasn’t been seen in the league since.
The 33-year-old quarterback is 2-2 in his NFL career with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Last XFL season, AJ McCarron completed 175 of 260 passes for 18 touchdowns, six interceptions and 1,730 yards.
Will Joe Burrow play on Monday Night Football?
Fans are hoping Joe Burrow will be the Bengals’ quarterback. However, he has a lingering calf injury that has been in doubt all week.
At 0-2, not having a quarterback on the field could all but doom a team to lose the Super Bowl LVI rematch.
According to USA Today and the Cincinnati Enquirer, the defenseman will “try to play.” This means he is expected to take the field, but there is no guarantee for how long.
He could play all four quarters or just play a cameo role. We can only wait and see what happens as the situation remains fluid.