Raiders acquire Bills QB AJ McCarron for draft pick
OAKLAND, Calif. — Dissatisfied with his backup quarterback play, Jon Gruden traded for a new option.
The Raiders waived Connor Cook and sent a 2019 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for quarterback AJ McCarron. He joined Buffalo in March on a two-year, $10 million contract. After missing a portion of the preseason to a shoulder injury, he finished August at 23-of-50 passing for 292 yards.
This is one of three trades the Raiders completed Saturday.
On the others, they shipped All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears for draft-pick compensation and safety Shalom Luani to the Seattle Seahawks for compensation yet to be disclosed.
McCarron is a cost-effective addition for the Raiders. Of his $10 million contract, $4 million is a signing bonus for which they aren’t responsible. He has another $4.5 million in possible incentives the next two seasons. They do not project to count against the salary cap. His $900,000 salary for this season is fully guaranteed.
McCarron, who is entering his sixth NFL season, has started in three games and has played in 11 games. He has completed 86 of 133 passes for 920 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. The bulk of his playing time came with Cincinnati in 2015, when he filled in for injured starter Andy Dalton.
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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlkenreviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
