The Browns didn’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo on Tuesday morning, and it looked like a new low point for the current regime.
If it was, it only lasted for a few hours. The Browns missed on a second potential answer at quarterback before the trade deadline, and this time in even more spectacular fashion.
The Bengals agreed to trade backup quarterback A.J. McCarron to the Browns for a second- and third-round pick just minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline, ESPN reported. The Browns agreed to the deal as well. Then … it didn’t happen.
There are conflicting reports about how the trade was sunk. ESPN reported the Bengals and Browns thought they beat the clock on the deal, but the NFL said no. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported there was internal strife about McCarron between the Browns’ coaching staff and front office and they did not send in the proper paperwork to complete the deal.
The Browns argued with the NFL that the deal still should have counted, but the league said no, according to ESPN.
So the Browns struck out on finding a new quarterback, and the Bengals have one who now knows they tried to trade him to the worst team in the league — and a division rival, no less. The Enquirer reported the two teams had been talking about a McCarron deal since the spring, so maybe they can try again after the season.