McCarron mess shows how bad front office is

The Bengals filed approval of the trade before the deadline, but the Browns failed to send paperwork in on time.

The Oct. 31 4 p.m. trade deadline passed with a trick but no treat coming from the 0-8 Browns.

The Browns and Bengals worked deep into the afternoon on a trade that would have sent Cincinnati quarterback A.J. McCarron to the Browns for a second-round and a third-round draft pick. The Bengals filed approval of the trade to the league office at 3:55 p.m. — five minutes before the deadline — but the Browns failed to send their

paperwork in on time.

The story, first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, set the Twitter world ablaze.

A league source confirmed the Browns missed the deadline, but said it wasn’t all the Browns’ fault.

“They were negotiating right up to the end and talking to multiple teams,” the source said. “If they would have agreed earlier in the day, the trade would have gone through without a problem.”

According to Schefter, the Browns argued the trade should have been approved, but the league did not agree.

One night earlier, the New England Patriots traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round draft pick.

Requests from the media covering the Browns to meet with Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown were denied on the grounds

Brown was too busy. He might be available later in the week, according to the media relations department.

Requests to interview Browns coach Hue Jackson were also denied. Jackson spoke with the media on a conference call Oct. 30 before the Garoppolo trade.

How the Browns could possibly allow a firm deadline to pass is another example of how inexperienced — or inept — the front office led by Brown is.

Jackson coached McCarron while he was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. McCarron was 2-1 as a starter in 2015. He appeared in one game in 2016 and one game this season without throwing a pass.

McCarron knows Jackson’s system and would have been ahead of Browns current starting quarterback DeShone Kizer in that regard, although Kizer has seven starts compared to McCarron’s three. Kizer has also attempted more passes — 213 compared to 119 for McCarron.

The Browns and Patriots were linked in trade talks involving Garoppolo in the weeks leading up to the draft, but the Patriots insisted he was not for sale.

There is no evidence the Browns made a run at Garoppolo at the trading deadline. But if nothing else, the 49ers acquiring Garoppolo all but guarantees the Browns will have the first pick in the draft for a second straight year. The 49ers are also 0-8, but that should change if Garoppolo stays healthy.

The 49ers have their quarterback of the future — if they can sign him. Garoppolo will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, which means the 49ers will have to either sign him to a long-term contract of make him their franchise player at a cost of $25 million for 2018.

Garoppolo is highly regarded around the NFL, but he is unproven. The 2014 second-round draft pick from Eastern Illinois started two games in 2016 and won both while Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension for

Deflategate. He has appeared in 17 games, mostly in mop-up time, and has thrown five touchdown passes without throwing an interception.

In another development related to the Browns, suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon, who has missed 51 of the last 56 games because of suspensions, is scheduled to meet with Commissioner Roger Goodell to seek reinstatement. Gordon’s rights still belong to the Browns, even though he hasn’t played since the 15th game of 2014.

Meanwhile, the Browns began their bye after practicing on Oct. 31. Defensive end Myles Garrett was among those healthy enough to practice. It was newsworthy because a concussion forced him to miss the game in London on Oct. 29.

The concussion was Garrett’s third.

He had one in high school and one at Texas A&M.

Schudel can be reached at jschudel@news-herald. com; @jsproinsider on Twitter.