MOBILE, Ala. (WKRC/WBMA) – Former Cincinnati Bengals and University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron announced Wednesday that he is running for lieutenant governor of Alabama, launching a campaign focused on conservative values, faith and outsider leadership.

In a video released online, McCarron reflected on lessons from his football career — from winning back-to-back national championships under Coach Nick Saban to playing in the NFL — and tied those experiences to his desire to lead in public office.

“Coach Saban taught me the principles of being a leader,” McCarron said in the announcement. “Together we won back-to-back national championships. Playing in the NFL reinforced the importance of achieving goals bigger than ourselves.”

McCarron, who lives in Alabama with his wife Katherine and their two sons, said he is motivated by what he described as growing challenges to the state’s “conservative and cultural values.” He referenced the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying it inspired him to “get off the sidelines and get into the game.”

Framing himself as a political newcomer, he criticized “Montgomery insiders and career politicians,” saying, “The insiders have had their chance. It’s time for outsider candidates like me to lead the battle.”

McCarron noted his early support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential race, saying he admired Trump’s outsider approach. He pledged to work closely with Gov. Tommy Tuberville, another former football coach, including at the University of Cincinnati, promising to be “the quarterback who helps pass his conservative outsider agenda.”

“Alabama is my home,” McCarron said in closing. “It’s made me who I am, and I feel led from above to give back to the state that has given me so much.”

His campaign slogan, “AJ for LG,” nods both to his football background and his lieutenant governor bid.

McCarron played at Alabama from 2010 to 2013, serving as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback for three seasons. Alabama won back-to-back national championships in McCarron’s first two years as a starter, and he remains the school’s career leader in passing with more than 9,000 yards

The Bengals selected McCarron in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He appeared in 19 games across seven NFL seasons, including three starts for the Bengals in 2015 and another in 2019 with the Houston Texans.

After a stint in the XFL in 2022, McCarron returned to the NFL for his final season in 2023.