Pre-draft Coming out of
Alabama, McCarron was projected by the majority of
NFL draft experts and scouts to be drafted in the second or third round. He was praised for his game management and decision making, with the potential to become an NFL starter.
Cincinnati Bengals (first stint) 2014 season McCarron was selected by the
Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the
2014 NFL draft with the 164th overall pick. Along with University of Georgia quarterback
Aaron Murray, McCarron's draft value drastically dropped during the draft, as he was the ninth quarterback selected, out of the total 14. It was reported that teams felt during pre-draft interviews that he came across cocky and over-confident. When asked what his best attribute was during an interview at the
combine, McCarron responded, "Winning!" On May 22, 2014, the Bengals signed McCarron to a four-year, $2.4 million contract with a $181,652 signing bonus. In August 2014, he was placed on the
reserve/non-football injury list due to shoulder soreness, meaning that McCarron would miss at least the first six weeks of the 2014 season. With
Andy Dalton entrenched as the starting quarterback for the Bengals, and veteran
Jason Campbell as his backup, the Bengals did not plan for McCarron to see significant playing time during his rookie season.
2015 season McCarron was named the backup quarterback to begin the season after beating out
Keith Wenning and
Terrelle Pryor during training camp. During a Week 9 31–10 victory over the
Cleveland Browns, McCarron appeared in his first career game. Three weeks later, he completed his first career pass attempt for a three-yard completion in a 31–7 victory over the
St. Louis Rams. In the next game, McCarron completed two of three passes for 19 yards in a 37–3 road victory over the Browns. On December 13, 2015, starting quarterback Dalton fractured the thumb on his throwing hand while trying to make a tackle in the first quarter against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the Steelers won 33–20, McCarron came in and recorded 280 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The following week, McCarron became the first Alabama quarterback to win an NFL game since
Jeff Rutledge of the
New York Giants in 1987. In his first career start against the
San Francisco 49ers, McCarron completed 15-of-21 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown during the 24–14 road victory. The following week against the
Denver Broncos, he threw for 200 yards and a touchdown in a 20–17 overtime road loss. During the regular season finale against the
Baltimore Ravens, McCarron recorded 160 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 24–16 victory. During the
Wild Card Round against the Steelers, McCarron completed 23-of-41 passes for 212 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the narrow 18–16 loss, ending their season.
2016 season In 2016, McCarron only played in one game and recorded no statistics in a Week 6 35–17 loss to the
New England Patriots.
2017 season On October 31, 2017, the Bengals and Browns agreed on a deal to trade McCarron to Cleveland in exchange for a second and third-round pick in the
2018 NFL draft. However, the Browns failed to file the paperwork to the NFL before the trade deadline, nixing the trade. Four days later, it was reported that McCarron had filed a labor grievance against the Bengals asking to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2017 season as opposed to a restricted free agent. McCarron claimed that he was healthy enough to be removed from the non-football injury list during training camp in 2014 and that his rookie season should count as an accrued season towards unrestricted free agency. On February 15, 2018, McCarron won the grievance and became a free agent to begin the 2018 season, and received lost salary with interest from the 2014 season. He finished the 2017 season completing seven of 14 passes for 66 yards in three games and no starts.
Buffalo Bills in 2018 On March 14, 2018, McCarron signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the
Buffalo Bills. He competed for the starting quarterback position with second-year quarterback
Nathan Peterman and rookie
Josh Allen. However, McCarron suffered a shoulder injury during a preseason game against the Browns. The injury was initially reported as a
hairline fracture in his collarbone, which would have sidelined him for about four to six weeks. Nonetheless, McCarron received a second opinion on the injury, which revealed no fracture, clearing him to participate in the next two preseason games, including a comeback victory over the
Chicago Bears, where McCarron passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in the fourth quarter despite carrying a 0.0 passer rating the previous three quarters.
Oakland Raiders On September 1, 2018, McCarron was traded to the
Oakland Raiders for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick (originally acquired from the Steelers). He appeared in two games in relief of
Derek Carr during the 2018 season, completing one of three passes for eight yards. McCarron was released on March 14, 2019, shortly after the beginning of the new NFL season.
Houston Texans On March 20, 2019, McCarron signed a one-year contract with the
Houston Texans. In the regular-season finale against the
Tennessee Titans, McCarron recorded his first start since the 2015 season since the Texans were already locked into the #4-seed in the AFC and sat most of their starters as a result. McCarron finished the 35–14 loss with 225 passing yards and an interception to go along with 39 rushing yards and a touchdown. On March 30, 2020, McCarron re-signed with the Texans. He briefly entered the Week 14 matchup against the Bears after starter
Deshaun Watson hurt his elbow, but McCarron was sacked on his lone play for a turnover on downs. The Texans went on to lose on the road by a score of 36–7. During the regular-season finale against the Titans, McCarron came into the game during the second quarter and threw a single pass for 20 yards in the 41–38 loss.
Atlanta Falcons On April 30, 2021, McCarron signed a one-year contract with the
Atlanta Falcons. He suffered a
torn ACL in the Week 2 preseason game against the
Miami Dolphins and was placed on season-ending injured reserve, ending his season before it even started.
St. Louis BattleHawks (first stint) in 2023 On November 15, 2022, McCarron was selected by the
St. Louis BattleHawks of the
XFL. He later signed a contract with the team, worth between $100,000 to $200,000 a season. McCarron quickly became a breakout star for the Battlehawks after two consecutive comeback victories in the first two weeks of the 2023 season. In a postgame interview, McCarron stated he chose to play in the XFL rather than take a more lucrative position as an NFL backup in order to give himself more on-camera playing time so his children could watch him play, which prompted XFL co-owner
Dwayne Johnson to praise McCarron for his choice. In his final game of the 2023 regular season, McCarron went 28-of-35 on the day, throwing for 420 yards and six touchdowns — the yardage and touchdowns the most in a single game by an XFL passer in league history. He also set a league record for single-season touchdown passes with 24 that year. Following the season, McCarron indicated that he was open to opportunities to return to the NFL, saying, "I'm not done playing." He was released from his contract on September 23, 2023.
Cincinnati Bengals (second stint) On September 23, 2023, the Bengals signed McCarron to their practice squad. On December 4, he was signed to the active roster. McCarron saw his first in-season action with the Bengals in Week 14 against the
Indianapolis Colts, relieving starting quarterback
Jake Browning during the third quarter after Browning exited the game for a thumb injury. McCarron completed one pass before Browning returned to the game the following drive. McCarron requested and was granted his release on February 14, 2024.
St. Louis Battlehawks (second stint) McCarron expressed hesitancy about returning to the Battlehawks after his stint with the Bengals ended, noting that the merged
United Football League was unionized when the XFL players had voted against joining the union and that the new league's pay structure was less generous to quarterbacks than the XFL's was. Battlehawks coach
Anthony Becht reserved a roster spot for McCarron should he agree to return to the team. He ultimately agreed to return to the league because he had grown to like the league and appreciated his role in it as a senior veteran. McCarron re-signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks on February 16, 2024. He spent the 2024 season as the Battlehawks' starting quarterback. McCarron suffered an ankle injury during a Week 7 contest against the
Birmingham Stallions but played through the injury for the rest of the game, stating at the time that he hoped to teach a lesson to his children; McCarron eventually returned for the end of the season and the
XFL conference championship, where he again injured his ankle in a 25–15 loss to the
San Antonio Brahmas. McCarron planned on having surgery to repair the ankle in the offseason, noting that there was a possibility it could end his playing career but that he wanted to continue having a part in the league even if it would be in a non-playing role.), to take the Battlehawks' reins in 2025. In a post-release interview, McCarron indicated that he suspected he would not be on the Battlehawks roster for 2025 before the 2024 season ended and accused Becht of multiple wrongs, including forcing him to return to play at the end of the 2024 season while still injured, reneging on an agreement to issue a joint statement announcing his departure (as he found out about his release from his son), attempting to enforce a nonexistent
reserve clause to forbid McCarron from signing with any other team unless the Battlehawks agreed to trade his rights, and portraying the departure as a retirement when McCarron fully intends on returning to professional football. McCarron asserted that his contract had already expired before Becht released him and was already a
free agent. He expressed a desire to remain in the UFL, with a preference of staying in the XFL conference so he could beat Becht's team twice in a season, while also remaining open to signing with his home state team, the Stallions.
A. J. Smith revealed in a June 2025 interview that McCarron had been in deep discussions with the Brahmas (where Smith was offensive coordinator at the time) to sign with that team, only for unnamed upper management figures to veto the signing. In a January 2025 interview with the
New York Post, McCarron's wife indicated he would likely not play football again and was in the process of securing a podcast deal. == Coaching career ==