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Demand for Josh McCown an indicator of NFL quarterback market in 2015
The bidding war by the Browns, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Chicago Bears for Josh McCown illustrates how bare the cupboard is for NFL quarterbacks in 2015, including those coming out of college.
McCown is fresh off a 1-10 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who released him with one year left on a two-year contract he signed last year. McCown would have been an excellent mentor for Jameis Winston, whom the Bucs are expected to take with the first pick in the draft. But not at the $5.25 million he was scheduled to make. So now McCown has that role with the Browns after signing a three-year contract estimated at $5 million a year.
McCown, 35, has played 12 seasons (he did not play in 2010) and has a career record of 17-32 as a starter. The only year he posted a winning record was in 2013 with the Bears when he was 3-2. He had a one-year stop in 2007 in Oakland, where he worked well with Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo — DeFilippo was the Raiders quarterbacks coach — but he was 2-7 while throwing 10 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
The Bills are in the same situation as the Browns, which is why they were serious about McCown. They have a young, unproven quarterback in E.J. Manuel and the Browns have one in Johnny Manziel. Veteran Kyle Orton retired after 2014, leaving the Bills without a veteran, and Browns General Manager Ray Farmer never was enthusiastic about re-signing Brian Hoyer.
Winston and Marcus Mariota are the only quarterbacks worthy of first-round picks and, though it really doesn’t matter what they think, draft analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay of ESPN, plus Mike Mayock of NFL Network, say it would be a mistake for the Browns to bundle picks 12 and 19 and more to move for Mariota.
It would be an even worse mistake to use a first-round pick on a second-tier quarterback such as Brett Hundley of UCLA, Garrett Grayson of Colorado State or Bryce Petty of Baylor out of concern they will be gone before the Browns pick in the second round. When a team reaches, it gets Blain Gabbert (Jacksonville), Christian Ponder (Minnesota) or Brandon Weeden (Browns) and wastes years hoping for something that isn’t there. At least the Browns were wise enough to give up on Weeden after two seasons.
“For us, all options are on the table,” Farmer said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. “It’s simply about finding the guy with the right skill set to improve our football team. I would tell you there is a plan and there are names and there is a pecking order as to how we look at the players who are available for us to make a play for.”
Fans should hope there is more in the “pecking order” order than McCown, because he is not a championship quarterback. He’s better than nothing, though, and until they secured him, nothing is what the Browns had at quarterback.
The bidding war by the Browns, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Chicago Bears for Josh McCown illustrates how bare the cupboard is for NFL quarterbacks in 2015, including those coming out of college.
McCown is fresh off a 1-10 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who released him with one year left on a two-year contract he signed last year. McCown would have been an excellent mentor for Jameis Winston, whom the Bucs are expected to take with the first pick in the draft. But not at the $5.25 million he was scheduled to make. So now McCown has that role with the Browns after signing a three-year contract estimated at $5 million a year.
McCown, 35, has played 12 seasons (he did not play in 2010) and has a career record of 17-32 as a starter. The only year he posted a winning record was in 2013 with the Bears when he was 3-2. He had a one-year stop in 2007 in Oakland, where he worked well with Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo — DeFilippo was the Raiders quarterbacks coach — but he was 2-7 while throwing 10 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
The Bills are in the same situation as the Browns, which is why they were serious about McCown. They have a young, unproven quarterback in E.J. Manuel and the Browns have one in Johnny Manziel. Veteran Kyle Orton retired after 2014, leaving the Bills without a veteran, and Browns General Manager Ray Farmer never was enthusiastic about re-signing Brian Hoyer.
Winston and Marcus Mariota are the only quarterbacks worthy of first-round picks and, though it really doesn’t matter what they think, draft analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay of ESPN, plus Mike Mayock of NFL Network, say it would be a mistake for the Browns to bundle picks 12 and 19 and more to move for Mariota.
It would be an even worse mistake to use a first-round pick on a second-tier quarterback such as Brett Hundley of UCLA, Garrett Grayson of Colorado State or Bryce Petty of Baylor out of concern they will be gone before the Browns pick in the second round. When a team reaches, it gets Blain Gabbert (Jacksonville), Christian Ponder (Minnesota) or Brandon Weeden (Browns) and wastes years hoping for something that isn’t there. At least the Browns were wise enough to give up on Weeden after two seasons.
“For us, all options are on the table,” Farmer said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. “It’s simply about finding the guy with the right skill set to improve our football team. I would tell you there is a plan and there are names and there is a pecking order as to how we look at the players who are available for us to make a play for.”
Fans should hope there is more in the “pecking order” order than McCown, because he is not a championship quarterback. He’s better than nothing, though, and until they secured him, nothing is what the Browns had at quarterback.
