JOURNEY-PLAN
Journeyman quarterback Josh McCown is the latest candidate to be the new Jets signal-caller.
McCown is visiting the Jets on Friday and Saturday, according to a source. The 37-year-old spent the past two years with the Browns, where he went 1-10 as a starter.
The Jets are searching for a veteran quarterback to put in the mix with Bryce Petty, who is entering his third season, and Christian Hackenberg, who is going into his second year.
They don’t come much more veteran than McCown, who turns 38 on July 4 and has played for seven teams over 15 years. The Jets flirted with McCown two years ago before trading for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Now, with Fitzpatrick a free agent and the Jets ready to move on, McCown is back in the mix. McCown also has drawn interest from the Cowboys, but Dallas seems stuck in neutral until it resolves the Tony Romo situation.
McCown has a great reputation around the league and could be a strong mentor for the Jets’ young quarterbacks. Former Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall raved about McCown. The two played together with the Bears.
McCown is 18-42 in 60 starts in his career with 79 touchdown passes and 69 interceptions. Last season with the dismal Browns, he threw six touchdowns and six interceptions while passing for 1,100 yards.
The Jets have missed out on their top targets at the position this offseason. They liked Mike Glennon, but his price got too high and he signed a deal with the Bears for nearly $15 million a year. They also tried to sign Brian Hoyer, who chose the 49ers and new head coach Kyle Shanahan instead. Tyrod Taylor was a possibility, but the Bills locked him up with a restructured deal, never letting him hit the market.
The Jets have just Petty and Hackenberg on the roster. Free agent Geno Smith officially became an ex-Jet on Friday, when he agreed to a deal with the Giants that should become official Monday.
The remaining options are not very good. Besides McCown, Jay Cutler, Chase Daniel, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III are the top free- agent quarterbacks. The Jets have interest in Cutler, but only if he is willing to come at a discount, something the veteran may not want to do.
The Jets are not looking at just quarterbacks. They have a visit lined up Monday with free-agent tight end Mychal Rivera, according to a source. The Jets desperately need a tight end, a position that was not featured in former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense. New offensive coordinator John Morton is expected to utilize the tight end much more in the passing game. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is the top tight end on the Jets roster, but it was announced this week he will be suspended for the first two games of the year after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Rivera, 26, has spent the past four seasons with the Raiders. He only had 18 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown last year, but had 58 catches in 2014.
The NFL Network reported the deal between the Jets and cornerback Morris Claiborne is for one year and $5 million.