Browns Rumors: Hue Jackson Wants to Sign AJ McCarron Ahead of 2018 NFL Draft

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson reportedly favors AJ McCarron to be his starting quarterback instead of a rookie ahead of the 2018 NFL draft.

Peter King of The MMQB reported Jackson, who coached McCarron during his time as the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator, wants to add the free agent and then draft a quarterback to back him up.

The Browns have the No. 1 and No. 4 overall selections and are viewed as a near lock to take one of the top quarterbacks available.

McCarron, 27, is one of the top free-agent quarterbacks on the market. He's set to be an unrestricted free agent after winning a grievance against the Bengals, who sought to keep him a restricted free agent. The Alabama product has thrown for 920 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions during his NFL career, serving as a backup behind Andy Dalton.

McCarron said he values being a starter more than making the most money possible. 

"We're going to be open to everything," McCarron said, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I'm not the one—the people that know me and truly know me, and my family knows—it's not about the money for me. I just love playing football. Making the money is great, but I just want to play. That's what I grew up on. That's what you're raised on. Like here in the south, you're raised to love football. It's not about money. I just want to play."

The Browns nearly acquired McCarron at the trade deadline before failing to file the paperwork in time to the league. If Jackson lands McCarron now, the team will get him without giving up draft pick compensation—a huge win in the macro sense.

For others in Cleveland, they might be wary of following the desires of a coach with a 1-31 record. UCLA's Josh Rosen, Wyoming's Josh Allen and USC's Sam Darnold all arguably have higher ceilings than McCarron, who the Bengals believed was not a better option than Dalton, an average NFL starting quarterback.