Josh McCown primed for NFL HC job after journeyman career
HOUSTON (BVM) – Josh McCown took the journeyman quarterback title to an extreme during his 16-year NFL career, never spending more than two seasons with a given team following his opening stint with the Arizona Cardinals. The long-time NFL veteran’s career might only be mirrored by Ryan Fitzpatrick, who endured a similar professional path.
With over a decade’s worth of NFL experience, McCown seems destined to land a coaching opportunity in the near future. His time playing, and recent offseason rumors surrounding vacant positions, only suggest so. The now 41-year-old’s knowledge of the game has him destined to return to football’s highest stage.
Josh McCown before the NFL
A two-sport star at Jacksonville High School in Texas, McCown shined on both the football field and the basketball court. Between all-district and all-state mentions, McCown secured the East Texas Player of the Year award during his senior season. The standout prep career would lead to his arrival at Southern Methodist University where the Texas native racked up over 4,000 yards passing and 27 touchdowns during his three-year tenure with the program.
With an opportunity to join a more pass-heavy system, McCown decided to transfer to Sam Houston State for his final campaign. Behind 3,481 passing yards, and a 32-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio, McCown quickly surpassed any of his three previous seasons with the Mustangs, enjoying a 10-3 record with the new program. The 6-foot-4 quarterback’s breakout year was capped off after the 2001 campaign, with McCown earning a spot in the Senior Bowl following an injury to Oregon’s Joey Harrington.
Josh McCown’s Arizona Cardinals career
Following an impressive showing at the NFL Combine where McCown posted a 4.59 40-yard dash, the Sam Houston State quarterback would hear his name called during the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. McCown would get his first chance as a rookie after starter Jake Plummer went down, but his first two seasons with the team wouldn’t be much to write home about. After making just three starts throughout his opening two years, McCown would get his first full chance at the starting job during his third year in Arizona.
In the 2004 season, McCown started 13 games passing for 2,511 yards and 11 touchdowns en-route to a 6-7 starting record. The up-and-down year would signify a similar trend throughout the journeyman quarterback’s career as he split time with backup Shaun King for the remainder of the season. As he entered the 2005 season, McCown would be on the outside looking in after the Cardinals signed free agent quarterback Kurt Warner. The then 26-year-old would mix in and out of the starting job for six games during the season, but wouldn’t find his fit within the organization moving forward, ending with a 10-12 record.
Josh McCown’s journey as a backup quarterback
After spending a season with the Detroit Lions as the backup quarterback, McCown would return back to regular season action during his stint with the Oakland Raiders in 2007. A 2-7 record with the Raiders would lead McCown to his fourth team, the Carolina Panthers, in 2008. McCown had originally signed with the Miami Dolphins during the offseason but was traded following the team’s camp for a seventh-round draft choice.
Like his time in Detroit, McCown’s tenure with Carolina wouldn’t lead to much playing time, and after two seasons with the organization, he would find himself playing in the United Football League (UFL) for the 2010 season.
McCown’s tenure with the Panthers and UFL’s Hartford Colonials would lead to arguably his most fruitful opportunity with the Chicago Bears. Like many of his previous seasons, the 2011 campaign didn’t yield much activity as the Bears’ backup. After spending time on and off waivers in 2012, McCown would get a real shot during the 2013 year. After starting quarterback Jay Cutler was sidelined with an injury during a Week 7 matchup, McCown would take over the reins of the team, passing for 13 touchdowns and one interception during a seven-week window.
During that time, McCown collected wins in primetime, beating the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Against Dallas, McCown threw for four touchdowns, ran for one, and finished with 348 yards and a 141.9 passer rating. The effort had some questioning whether the team should come back with Cutler after the Bears’ 3-2 starting record with McCown at quarterback. Unfortunately for the long-time backup, Chicago would ride with Cutler in his return to action.
𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑 | 🥶
With a wind chill of -9, Josh McCown beats the Cowboys on Monday Night Football!
𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗼𝘄𝗻: 348 Yds, 4 TD, Rush TD
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲: 7 Rec, 73 Yds, TD
𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘆: 5 Rec, 84 Yds, TD
pic.twitter.com/zbTVYBHMFa— This Day in Chicago Sports (@ChiSportsDay) December 9, 2020
Even though McCown was left out of the plan heading forward for the Bears, it would allow for him to land starting gigs with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns. His time in Tampa would yield similar results to some of his previous stops with a 1-10 starting record. But in 2014, McCown enjoyed a solid season at the position as Cleveland struggled as a team. He passed for 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions during the campaign, proving that he was capable of providing a consistent level of play.
After two seasons in Chicago, one in Tampa, and two in Cleveland, the then 38-year-old quarterback landed on with the New York Jets. A season heading the team would lead to a similar set of circumstances for McCown who finished with a 5-8 record before an injury would sideline him for the remainder of the year. With New York selecting Sam Darnold in the 2018 NFL Draft, McCown’s time would be relegated back to being a mentor for the young quarterback. This would continue into 2019 as McCown wrapped up his final year of play by helping out Carson Wentz as the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup.
Without starting a game all year, McCown was thrust into his first playoff action during the 2019 season when the Eagles starting quarterback was unable to return after a head-to-head collision with Jadeveon Clowney. McCown would go 18-for-24 for 174 yards in the team’s wild card loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The final playoff game would be a significant one for McCown who finished his career following the loss.
Josh McCown emotional about getting chance to play in his first playoff game at the age of 40
“I’ve had the time of my life”
“To go out there and play in a playoff game, was special”#Eagles pic.twitter.com/yvxwtnFa4P
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 6, 2020
Josh McCown’s coaching career
Throughout his tenure in the NFL, McCown helped coach a variety of different high school programs. During his time with the Eagles, the long-time quarterback would be allowed to fly back to Charlotte on Mondays and Fridays to help with high school practice and games for his sons’ team.
Following the 2021 season, McCown was interviewed for the Houston Texans‘ head coaching vacancy after the team had parted ways with David Culley. Even though the Texans would eventually go with Lovie Smith, McCown was announced as a finalist for the position. With future head coaching opportunities likely, McCown will be a hot commodity moving forward for open jobs.
The #Texans completed an interview with Josh McCown for their head coaching position today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2022
Josh McCown’s family, net worth and career earnings
McCown and his wife, Natalie, have four children, and his two sons, Owen and Aiden, play football at Rusk High School in Texas. McCown has served as an assistant coach in the past for his kids’ teams. Throughout his NFL career, McCown accrued over $52 million over his 16 years and currently has an estimated net worth of $18.8 million.
