Josh McCown is the middle of 3 sons born to parents Pat, and Robin McCown in Jacksonville Texas. His parents owned a ranch, and his father had played just one year of high school football but somehow went on to produce 3 sons Randy, Josh, and Luke who all played professional football with different levels of success. Randy started the trend of the boys starting at QB for Jacksonville High School. However it was Josh who would be the first in the family to make it into the NFL and would prove to find the most success at the pro level.
Josh would parlay his 3 years starting for Southern Methodist, before transferring to Sam Houston State. He would go on to use this one year in a more aggressive offense to become a third round pick in the NFL draft after a senior year that saw him complete 60.4% of his 429 passes for 3,481 yards or 8.1 avg. 32 tds, 12 ints adding 351 rushing yards and 6 tds showing his dual threat ability.
In 2002 the Cardinals under coach Dave McGinnis drafted Josh McCown to compete with Jake Plummer. While McCown didn't seize the starting job, Plummer was allowed to leave in free agency. Instead of simply handing the job to McCown, they signed Jeff Blake. Blake started 13 games but the future at the position was McCown. McCown in 2003 played in 3 games completing just under 58% of his passes for 1,018 yards, 5 tds 6 ints adding 128 yards and 1 td. In 2004 he took over as the starter playing in 14 games starting 13. He would complete 57% of his passes for 2,511 yards 11 tds, 10 ints adding 112 yards and 2 tds. In 2005 Dennis Green brought in Kurt Warner to start with McCown relegated to a backup role but went on to start 6 games completing over 60% of his passes for the first time ever. McCown was a victim of circumstance serving under 2 different head coaches, 4 different offensive coordinators, and 2 qb coaches.
Beginning of the journeyman: in 2006 McCown did what many former starters do and signed on to be a backup in Detroit to veteran Jon Kitna who wasn't in strong standing. McCown came in the same year as new head coach Rod Marinelli, and former greatest show on turf architect Mike Martz. Martz served as offensive coordinator and QB coach. Unfortunately McCown would play more as a WR in 2006 than he would as a qb. Catching 2 passes for 15 yards in 2 games.
In 2007 McCown requested a trade having signed with the Lions for a chance to compete for a starting job but it was clear Kitna was the short term starter and Drew Stanton was drafted to be the long term future. The Lions packaged McCown and Mike Williams together trading them to Oakland in exchange for a 4th round pick. He would go on to beat out Daunte Culpepper, and Andrew Walter for the starting job before injury affected his play and he was bounced back and forth off the bench. He would play under coaches Lane Kiffin, Greg Knapp, and John Defilippo.
In 2008 McCown signed with the Dolphins to compete with Chad Henne, and John Beck. He was listed as the starter until Chad Pennington was signed. Instead of McCown retaining the starting job they decided Pennington was the better option. The Panthers did him a favor and shipped Miami a 7th round pick in exchange for McCown. He would actually go on to play out the 2 year contract he signed with Miami before being traded. He served as the backup to Jake Delhomme for the 08-09 seasons. At 30 years old with an 8 year old career behind him McCown could have easily moved on from football altogether. Playing under John Fox, Jeff Davidson, and Mike McCoy. As well as head coach Tony Sparano, coordinator Dan Henning, and qb coach David Lee in Miami.
In 2010 McCown made the bold move of taking a starting job in a new league with the Hartford Colonials he went on to play in 8 games completing 56% of his passes for 1,414 yards 10 tds, 8 ints. He played under Chris Palmer who somehow served as head coach, GM, and offensive coordinator as well as QB coach Dave Ragone who recently was hired as the Falcons offensive coordinator, WR coach Shane Waldron who is now the passing game coordinator under Sean McVay with the Rams.
2011 saw McCown make the leap back into the NFL with the 49ers where he lasted less than a month before. He would sign here under his former coaches from Detroit who had moved on to Chicago. Rod Marinelli served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach to Lovie Smith, while Mike Martz was again the offensive coordinator, and Shane Day who still coaches QB'S to this day. He would spend 3 seasons here and have the best stretch of his career which arguably restarted his career as a potential starting qb. He would play in 11 games with 7 starts completing 184 of 279 passes for 2,243 yards 15 tds, 5 ints.
For the 2014 season McCown headed into unrestricted free agency with Chicago hoping to retain him as a backup but his desire to start well known. Despite being 34 years old his former head coach with Chicago Lovie Smith brought him in to start for the Buccaneers. McCown served as a captain starting 11 games going 1-10. He was responsible for 14 tds, 14 ints, and just over 2,300 yards. He was coached by Lovie Smith, offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, and qb coach Marcus Arroyo. Both Tedford and Arroyo have gone on to become head coaches.
In 2015 McCown was released by the Bucs after just 1 down season with the team in which rookie Mike Glennon played quite a bit earning the backup job and making McCown expendable. With the poor record the Bucs had the top pick and ability to draft Jameis Winston as their future signal caller. McCown again found himself hunting for an opportunity to start. This would leave him to Cleveland under head coach Mike Pettine, and two noted qb whisperers in John Defillippo, and Kevin O'Connel both who have gone on to be respected offensive coordinators. McCown would go on to play 13 games starting 11 over two seasons. In year 1 he was the starter before the Browns brought in RGIII to start. However RGIII suffered an injury that forced him to miss 8 games right off the bat. This allowed McCown to throw 457 passes completing 276 of them for a total of 3,209 yards 18 tds, 10 ints, adding another 119 yards and 1 td on the ground. His play wasn't good enough to warrant Cleveland keeping him through the length of his contract. He was released on 2/17/17.
In 2017 he signed with the New York Jets where he started 13 games. This would prove to be his best statistical season of his career. 13 starts, 67.3% completion rate for 2,926 yards, 18 tds 9 ints adding 124 yards and 5 more tds on the ground. This performance earned him another 1 year deal with New York. Except this time in 2018 he returned to play second fiddle to Sam Darnold who was drafted in 2018. This is where the thoughts of McCown coaching began to start coming up strongly. McCown served as a valuable mentor to Darnold his rookie season, while still playing in 4 games starting 3 due to injury. Darnold praised McCown for helping him learn the role he took from Josh without a bit of animosity. At this point Josh McCown was 39 years old and decided it was time to retire. Accepting a position as an analyst with ESPN. however he wasn't quite done yet. He played under Adam Gase whom he had crossed paths with earlier in life, as well as noted qb coach Jeremy Bates in 2017 and 2028.
In 2019 the Eagles came calling convincing him to return from retirement after an injury to primary backup Nate Sudfeld. McCown came in seized the job from Sudfeld and never turned back ultimately playing his first ever playoff game at 40 years old after a concussion sidelined Wentz. The 40 year old qb went on to complete 75% of his passes, but accounting for no tds. During this game McCown tore his hamstring from the bone but finished the game. Following this game the Eagles strongly pursued McCown as a coaching candidate for their offensive coordinator position. The 40 year old at that point had 18 years experience in the league under some of the most respected and intelligent offensive minds in the game. He was every bit qualified to run his own offense after essentially serving as a player coach for two seasons behind Darnold, and Wentz. However he turned down the offer wanting to continue playing at 41. The following season in 2020 covid 19 would change everything resulting in a change to the practice squad rules eliminating the restrictions on experienced players being signed to the practice squad. The Eagles decided the next best thing to hiring him as a coach was signing him as a practice squad player who served as an emergency qb, as well as a kind of defacto assistant qb coach.Making him the oldest player to ever sign to a practice squad. However Houston ultimately came in and snatched him off the practice squad.
Josh McCown didn't sign with Houston until a month after the dismissal of Bill O'Brien. Playing under Romeo Crennel, and coordinator/qb coach Tim Kelly who is another respected offensive mind. He would play for the team from November on as the backup to Watson and Mccaaron. The twist to this story is the fact that just 2 months after being signed as a 3rd string qb McCown was interviewed for the head coaching role for the Texans. In back to back seasons the high school coach was considered for prominent positions as an NFL coach. However it is not without precedent being that McCown has spent parts of the last 10 years helping coach qbs for Marvin Ridge High School, and now Myers Park High where his sons play. While also helping teach gym class on top of it all. McCown actually had an arrangement where he was allowed to fly home Mondays for game planning and practice before returning on Friday for game day while with the Eagles.
To sum it all up Josh McCown is a product of his surroundings over his career. He has been surrounded by quarterbacks his entire life dating all the way back to when his older brother started the legacy of the family by starting at QB for Jacksonville High. He has spent time around some of the brightest and most well known offensive coaches in the league and absorbed the knowledge he was given which makes him a uniquely experienced coaching candidate who has ties to just about every major coaching tree at this point.
McCown was always a cerebral player which allowed him to prolong his career as a journeyman backup qb, and it might be the reason he adds first modern era player to retire into running a team as a head coach the first player to do so since Norm Van Brocklin in 1961. Van Brocklin retired in 1960 before immediately being hired as the Vikings head coach. It would be extremely fitting for McCown to be the next player to manage this.
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