My Dive into AJ McCarron’s Paycheck
Alright, so the other day, I got curious about AJ McCarron. You know, the quarterback. Saw him playing again, this time in the UFL, I think? And it just got me wondering, what’s a guy like that actually pulling in? He’s been around, NFL, then the XFL, now this new league. It feels like a journeyman’s path, and I was just plain nosy about the money side of things.
So, I did what most folks do, I started digging online. Fired up the computer and just typed in stuff like “AJ McCarron salary” and “how much does AJ McCarron make”. You get a ton of results, obviously. Lots of sports sites, news bits, forum discussions.
Sorting Through the Noise
First thing I noticed was the difference between his NFL days and the newer leagues. When he was in the NFL, mostly as a backup for teams like the Bengals, Raiders, Texans… the numbers thrown around were decent. Not superstar money, not like the guys starting every week, but definitely good money, you know? Millions over several years according to some reports I glanced at. But finding exact, confirmed numbers for backups back then? Kinda tricky. Lots of estimates, contract details often have incentives and stuff that isn’t always public.
Then came the interesting part – his time in the XFL and now the UFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks. I spent a bit of time trying to figure this out specifically. It seemed different.
- I looked for articles covering the XFL player contracts when that league kicked off (again).
- Tried searching for UFL salary structures more recently.
- Read through some fan forums where people were hashing out the same question.
What I Pieced Together
What I gathered was that these newer spring leagues operate differently. The pay structure seems much more standardized compared to the NFL’s wild west. From what I could piece together from various articles and discussions, the base pay in the XFL last year was pretty much set for most players, with maybe some bonuses for being active or winning games. It wasn’t NFL money, not even close. We’re talking maybe mid-five figures for the season as a base, plus housing and meals which is decent, but a world away from NFL contracts.
For the UFL this year, it seems to be a similar setup. Reports suggest a base salary per game week when active, plus that housing/meals thing. Again, solid for a few months’ work, especially if you love playing, but it’s not setting anyone up for life like a big NFL deal. McCarron might get some extra bumps, maybe through league promotions or performance bonuses because he’s a known name and performs well, but the core structure seems pretty fixed.
It really puts things in perspective. Here’s a guy who reached the top league, had a taste of that NFL money, and now he’s grinding it out in these spring leagues. You gotta figure he just really loves playing football. It’s not just about the biggest paycheck anymore, maybe it’s about proving something, leading a team, or just the passion for the game. It’s kind of respectable, actually. Took me down a bit of a rabbit hole, but it was interesting to see the different worlds of pro football pay.
