JOSH JETS IN TO FILL HOLE
McCown is right guy for job — seriously
HE has played for seven different teams (plus one in the UFL), lost more than twice as many games as he’s won and will turn 38 the day this country turns 241 this summer. He also happens to be the ideal choice for this team at this time.
The Jets signed quarterback Josh McCown Monday to be their leader, mentor and teacher this season. For a franchise that has gone sideways for the better part of its existence, the powers that be made a sound and smart move by adding this particular signal caller.
McCown, who worked with quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates for two seasons in Chicago, makes sense for myriad reasons. The Jets rebuild requires a savvy veteran quarterback fully aware that his job requirements include helping the younger players at his position on the roster.
McCown still has the skill set to play in the league, but it’s no secret that the Jets will turn to Bryce Petty and/or Christian Hackenberg at some point this upcoming season. McCown, by all accounts, has the right disposition needed in this role.
“The biggest thing that stood out was his leadership,” former Bears teammate Brandon Marshall said of McCown last year. “Even when he wasn’t starting, he was the glue to the locker room, the glue to the organization. No one worked harder than him. He would be the first one in or the second one in. He would be the last one to leave. He was there at 8 o’clock at night. He was just awesome. He did everything…. He would keep the offense together and also keep the players connected to the coaches.”
The Jets need precisely that type of presence for this upcoming season.
McCown inked a one-year deal for $6 million in full guarantees. He can earn up to $2 million in play-time bonuses and $5 million in playoff and Super Bowl bonuses, according to a source.
The offer dwarfed what the Cowboys were willing to pay McCown.
So, it stands to reason that McCown, who is 18-42 as a starter in his 14-year career, will be the Week 1 starter for Todd Bowles. How long he lasts will depend on a host of factors, including the team’s comfort level with Christian Hackenberg’s development and readiness.
The Jets brain trust has never viewed the 2017 season as a tank-a-thon. Being competitive matters to the powers that be, but the bottom-line reality is that the organization needs to definitively find out what it has in Hackenberg and Petty before determining how to proceed with the most pivotal position in the sport. The 2018 quarterback draft class could have more than one franchise player.
The free-agent options this offseason weren’t exactly great. The Jets had interest in Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer before they chose other destinations. Tyrod Taylor intrigued them before he agreed to a restructured deal to stay in Buffalo.
Journeyman backup Chase Daniel visited One Jets Drive on Monday after McCown rolled into town over the weekend. Jay Cutler, who was teammates (and extremely close friends) with McCown in Chicago, was slated to visit this week, too, but it became a moot point. Word on the street is that Cutler, rehabbing from a torn labrum, wasn’t fully healthy anyway.
McCown should be an ideal bridge for Mike Maccagnan and Bowles.
“Just an awesome man, an awesome quarterback,” Marshall said last year. “He is the example of what you want your kid to be. If you want to buy a jersey, that is the jersey you buy. I think you guys know who he is and how he conducts himself, how he approaches everything day-to-day. I can’t speak enough about him. He is the best.” cCown’s NFL life has winded through Arizona, Detroit, Oakland, Carolina, Chicago, Tampa and most recently Cleveland. He even spent a couple preseasons in Miami and San Francisco.
The Jets need McCown to do them a solid. Play, teach and help.
McCown will gladly play his part.
M