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One question that was brought up this weekend asked "Why wasn't AJ McCarron in Cincinnati participating in rookie minicamp"? It's a logical inquiry -- mostly because McCarron hasn't played an NFL game. With Andy Dalton being the team's starting quarterback, McCarron wouldn't be the beneficiary of many practice snaps... so get while the gettin' is good, right?
Only problem is... he's not eligible.
According to Tweets via the Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Dehner Jr. and ESPN's Coley Harvey, McCarron (who was on the 53-man roster for three regular season games and one playoff game last season) had not accrued a year towards pension:
You need to accrue a season toward pension and he barely passed the criteria last season despite time on NFI.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) May 8, 2015
We're not really sure what that means -- a fanatical search of the CBA didn't present much information about rookie minicamps.
McCarron joined the 53-man roster on Dec. 9 after rehabilitating an existing shoulder injury after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft.