AJ McCarron got paid $4 million for his last full season, now his pay packet will be around $60,000. And that's exactly what the dad-of-three wants, having decided to take a 98% salary cut so his kids can see him on the pitch again.
The former Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback is now playing for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson-backed XFL, having left the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
McCarron is no stranger to the NFL bench. Having lead his Alabama college team to two national championships in 2012 and 2013 he was then reserve across various NFL teams for six years, before suffering a knee injury in preseason 2021.
He sat out in 2021 and 2022 before signing with the XFL—which differs to the NFL in its play clock and rules.
Now his sons no longer have to watch their father on the sidelines—or watch him play on YouTube.
McCarron told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "I probably could've tried to come back with an NFL team and had a chance to probably made bigger money, but no one knows what the future holds. I'm enjoying this, and it's a great way to create some memories for me and my boys."
At the weekend McCarron lead his team to its second victory, telling ESPN after the match that his boys had "watched Daddy never give up".
He added: "Ever since I came out of college, I've been counted out a little bit. It's just fun to come out here and play, I missed playing. Not always just being a backup — and that's a great living, it really is, and I absolutely love it — but I love playing. This is special, and I can't thank the XFL enough."
Hollywood star Johnson, who was part of the $15 million investment group which purchased the league in order to revive it, wrote on Twitter: "Takes less money signing with us over the @NFL because he wanted his little boys to see him play. Now he’s 2-0 and led his team to back to back exciting last minute wins. I’d say he’s creating some memories for his boys. AJ’s decision means a helluva lot to me, personally."
Man I love everything about this.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 24, 2023
Can’t ever count guys like AJ out.
They play for something deeper.
I root for and say ‘thank you’ to @10AJMcCarron and all our XFL players. #XFL #KawNation https://t.co/IBRI3P6plZ
Why should bosses care?
Managers need to take notice of McCarron's case because it disproves the theory that throwing money at staff doesn't necessarily buy employees' happiness or fulfillment. That's according to Cassandra Andrews, a motivation expert and consultant who has worked with Harvard University and Barclays Bank.
She explained: "There's a reason he's an NFL player. You don't become incredible without doing the work, there's something in you that gets you out of bed in the morning. When I talk about motivators I look at values and for him, that's clearly his family. I'd be interested to know about his upbringing and whether those beliefs are something that he's mirroring."
Indeed, McCarron has already joked he feels "bad for his mom" because of his return, saying he doesn't want her to hear him swearing now that players are mic'ed up. "I'm sure [she] will be texting me about this or that bad word that I say during the game," McCarron said. "Hopefully there's a bleep button."
McCarron may be signaling that his motivators are family through and through, Andrews added, but for others their values can change throughout their lives.
She added: "Motivators can be really agile and especially change around significant life events, whether that's kids, marriage, divorce, death, COVID or anything else. What has happened to him is he was in his dream job but he wasn't fulfilled because he wasn't playing, so he took a pay cut.
"Managers—whether they're managing a team in a shop or athletes—need to understand team members and make sure they're supported or have enough space.
"A recession really amplifies our motivators. If we're risk-averse we want more money to feel safe, if we value disruption we may see it as a massive opportunity. Managers need to work out what their teams need so they can provide them with reassurance about roles or give people the space to grow in their jobs.
"I've worked with professional sportsmen who didn't care about things like having the latest Porsche, they just wanted to be part of the team. You don't always need to throw money at people."
