A.J. McCarron was nearly traded to the Cleveland Browns at the trade deadline, but the deal fell through when the paperwork wasn't sent to the league office in time.

McCarron was excited at the possibility, figuring he could try and win games as a starter in Cleveland instead of standing on the sideline with the Cincinnati Bengals.

"As a competitor, I wanted that opportunity, just to be able to showcase and help a team win ball games," McCarron said on WNSP. "I think I would have had some success playing for Hue [Jackson]. I would have loved the opportunity to go up there and get them a win, more than one win. As a competitor, that's all you can ask for."

The Browns reportedly didn't submit the trade through the official league channels in time.

"It was an odd deal," McCarron said. "I got a text from my agent at 3:34 saying 'hey, there's a possible trade going down. Stay by your phone. I'll let you know.' I got another call from him right at 4 saying 'from what I know, it's a done deal. I'll call you back in a minute and let you know.' The next call I got was at 4:03 and he's 'hey, the trade didn't go through. They didn't get the paperwork in on time.' Everybody has a story. I'm sure Cleveland has their own story, Cincy has their own story. But it's just one of those things, when you think you've seen everything, you're shown a little bit more. I think the only people who truly know what happened were the ones leading the whole situation on both sides."

Teryl Austin has agreed to become the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Austin was most recently defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.

The Oakland Raiders also pushed to hire Austin.

Mike Brown was willing to give Marvin Lewis another chance to lead the Cincinnati Bengals despite the team heading towards a reset.

"You're going to have to start from scratch regardless, so you might as well start from scratch with someone you understand, you know," Lewis said.

"Everybody can always look at what's negative from it, but the only way we can go about it and do it positive is to get back to work and go about it."

Bill Lazor, who was elevated to offensive coordinator after an 0-2 start last season, will remain in the role and get a chance to redesign the NFL's worst offense in the offseason.

Brown decided that Lewis was the best choice, regardless of what has happened in the past 15 years.

"I tell people when you go to a car lot, you know what you're looking for and they're not going to sway you one way or another, that's what you're going to do," Lewis said. "I believe that about [NFL owners]."

The Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation has received more than 7,000 donations totaling more than $170,000 from Buffalo Bills fans.

Bills fans have made the donations to thank Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals for beating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, allowing the Bills to make the playoffs.

"Thank you to all the Bills fans, thank you to anybody that's supporting our foundation," Dalton said in a Twitter video. "Let's keep it going. Let's see how much we can get. The more we can raise, the more families we can help, the more kids we can make an impact on."

Marvin Lewis has signed a new two-year deal to remain as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lewis was expected to leave the Bengals and pursue other opportunities. 

“Marvin Lewis has been an important member of the Cincinnati community and the Bengals family for the past 15 years, and we are happy to have reached this agreement,” said Bengals President Mike Brown. “Marvin has made significant contributions during his time here. While recently we have fallen short of our expectations, we have full confidence in Marvin to re-establish winning football in 2018.”

“My family and I are very grateful for the opportunity to stay in Cincinnati and continue my career with the Bengals,” said Lewis. “My job is to win a World Championship. We have a talented roster full of veteran leaders and emerging young stars, and I am committed to making the necessary improvements to put this team in the best position to win.”

The NFL has five teams ranking in the top-10 in DVOA on both Offense and Defense at the end of the regular season in the Vikings, Rams, Saints, Steelers and Eagles.

The Chiefs, Cowboys, Chargers, Falcons and Patriots also rank in the top-10 on offense, while the Jaguars, Broncos, Panthers, Ravens and Cardinals rank in the top-10 on defense.