Former Atlanta Falcons QB Lands UFL Head Coaching Job

BIRMINGHAM – Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback AJ McCarron is trying his hand as a head coach. McCarron will replace Skip Holtz as the next head coach of the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions.

“I am excited about this new opportunity with the UFL,” McCarron said in a press release. “This game has given me so much as a player, and now I am ready to give back as a coach. It’s even more special that I get to do that while representing my home state – a state that has supported me throughout my career. Our team will build upon the amazing legacy of Skip Holtz. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Holtz, what he has done for the league and for the Stallions. I am ready to put in the work that will continue producing championship wins for the city of Birmingham.”

TAKING THE REINS

AJ McCarron is your Birmingham Stallions Head Coach 🐴#giddyup pic.twitter.com/VokvSkkcBV
— Birmingham Stallions (@UFLStallions) December 18, 2025

As a college player, McCarron led the Alabama Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2013, the quarterback won the Maxwell Award and finished runner-up in the Heisman vote.

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The Cincinnati Bengals then selected him with the No. 164 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, where he played three seasons before bouncing around the NFL. He landed in Atlanta in 2021 to be the primary backup option for Matt Ryan, but a torn ACL cut his season short.

Over his 19 games as a pro, primarily serving as a backup quarterback, McCarron threw for 1,192 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He was 2-2 as a starter, also having stops with the Bills, Raiders, and Texans.

He attempted to revive his career in 2024 with a season with the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks, but he will now try his hand as a head coach in the same league.

This news comes just two months after the former quarterback announced his bid for the office of lieutenant governor of Alabama. He withdrew that bid on Wednesday.

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“My football position will require the same 100% focus, commitment, and attention that I was prepared to give to the office of lieutenant governor, so it is time to end my campaign,” McCarron said, according to the Associated Press.

Now, it is clear where McCarron was intent on heading.