Mentor McCown showing youngster the ropes

Josh McCown spoke to reporters Monday before coach Todd Bowles announced Sam Darnold was the new Jets starting quarterback.

But for 12 minutes, McCown fielded question after question about Darnold and a few times be- gan his answers with a big smile and, “If Sam is the starter ... ,” knowing which way the team was going even if Bowles had not made it official.

Through the entire spring and summer as the Jets have pushed McCown aside to usher in Darnold, the 39-year-old has handled everything with aplomb. He has embraced his role as a mentor for Darnold and been the ultimate team guy.

“Josh has been like that since he’s walked in the door, before he was even the starter last year when I played [Christian Hackenberg] in the second and third preseason games,” Bowles said. “He’s always been trying to help players out as well as compete. That’s what you love about him. He’s a great team guy. You always want guys that are backing up that want to start. They want to play. We feel like we have two good quarterbacks.”

McCown has poured himself into helping out Darnold this summer. He has been Darnold’s biggest cheerleader during the preseason games.

“It’s been fun,” McCown said Monday. “I think more than anything because of the type of person Sam is and the way he carries himself. You just feel like it’s a worthy investment. You feel like when you spend the extra time and talk through plays and things like that, he’s a guy who soaks it up and takes it to the field and then puts his own spin on it. I’m looking forward to how he continues to grow in his career. It’s been great working with him. It’s fun. We have a lot of laughs and good times.”