Most NFL fans know who Josh McCown is. The journeyman NFL QB started 43 games the past six seasons for the Bears, Buccaneers, Browns, and Jets. In that time he threw 61 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. What you may not know is just how long McCown has been bouncing around the NFL — 17 seasons.
The former 3rd round pick entered the NFL in 2002 with the Cardinals. Today he announced his retirement.
It has been an honor to journey through this wonderful game as a player for the past 17 years and I’m humbled to have the opportunity to serve the game in a new capacity. via @PlayersTribune https://t.co/NDU9cH2alH pic.twitter.com/FEXMlf40a9
— Josh McCown (@JoshMcCown12) June 17, 2019
McCown’s third NFL stop was in Oakland in 2007. That was the year the Raiders made JaMarcus Russell the number one overall pick in the NFL draft.
Those days NFL rookies could still decide their own contracts and Russell was looking to cash in. He held out well into his rookie season, during which time, McCown was the Raiders’ starting QB.
McCown went 1-2 in three starts before Daunte Culpepper took over as the starter. Later that season, McCown returned as the starter in the home stretch. He and Culpepper would each get just two wins and with the team sitting at 4-11 heading into the finale, the decision was made to give Russell his first ever NFL start.
Thus McCown’s time in Oakland would end with the beginning of Russell’s NFL career.
Russell would infamously flame out as the biggest but in NFL history and 12 years later, the 39-year-old McCown announced his retirement with 76 starts in 99 game appearances.
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