A.J. McCarron Explains Why He Chose To Play In The XFL

(Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images fro Verizon)

The XFL has begun its second season, and it is offering football die-hards the opportunity to continue to watch and enjoy America’s favorite sports deep into the spring and long after the Super Bowl.

Quarterback A.J. McCarron spent six seasons in the NFL, mostly as a backup, and although he could’ve remained in the league in that capacity, he decided to make the move to the XFL and be the starting QB for the St. Louis Battlehawks.

He told Jim Rome that his son was a major factor in that decision.

.@10AJMcCarron on why he chose the XFL over pursuing another backup role in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/erPdwtYw4y

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) February 20, 2023

McCarron had a solid game on Sunday in his season debut, completing 18 of 26 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 18-15 win over the San Antonio Brahmas.

Before playing for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans, McCarron made his name at the University of Alabama, where he won a number of individual awards.

He led the Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships, becoming the first QB to do so since the Bowl Championship Series system was devised.

McCarron ended his college career with 9,019 passing yards, 77 passing touchdowns and a 162.5 passer rating in his four years at Alabama.

The XFL is still very much a fledgling league, but it has some interesting rules that should create some excitement and perhaps, in time, make the NFL think about tweaking its own rules.

One of the XFL’s experimental rules is the option to try to convert a fourth-and-15 instead of trying for an onside kick after a score.

The Battlehawks faced such a situation late in the fourth quarter after scoring a touchdown, and McCarron converted that fourth down, which led to his team’s game-winning touchdown.

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