NFL Rumors: Josh McCown Leaving Cleveland Browns For New York Jets

NFL rumors are swirling around Josh McCown. The Cleveland Browns signed Robert Griffin III on Thursday. The former Washington Redskins quarterback is expected to take over the starting position, so the Browns now view McCown as being expendable. The belief is that the team is looking to trade the veteran quarterback, according to NFL.com. Since there is a dearth of starting caliber quarterbacks in the National Football League, McCown should be able to command interest from several teams.

Though he’s 36 years of age, Josh McCown still remains an option at quarterback for teams in the NFL. He’s obviously not going to be the quarterback of the future for anyone, because he has maybe one or two years left; maybe three if he stays healthy. The National Football League is at a point where there are teams that would be more than pleased to have stability at one of the most important positions for a short period of time.

Last season, the New York Jets needed a temporary solution at the quarterback position. Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith proved that they weren’t capable of taking over the spot on a permanent basis. Ryan Fitzpatrick was supposed to be a stopgap solution, but he ended up having a phenomenal season. Obviously, he and his agent wanted to be paid for their production, but the Jets wanted to be fiscally responsible by avoiding a massive contract.

Josh McCown can be a fantastic temporary solution if the New York Jets decide to go that route again. There’s a very good chance that they could allow Ryan Fitzpatrick to leave via free agency, as they would much rather have another NFL team overpay the veteran than do so themselves. The Jets have a strong defense and plenty of weapons on offense, so the next guy taking over for Fitzpatrick won’t have to carry the offensive load himself.

After leaving the Chicago Bears, Brandon Marshall has found himself a new home with the New York Jets. The talented wide receiver is now away from Jay Cutler, and he’s much happier with his current situation. Josh McCown once backed up Cutler when he was with the Bears. In 2013, McCown had the best stretch of his playing career in the NFL when he was throwing to Marshall.

The New York Jets have a lot of holes to fill on their roster, so they might not be inclined to give up too many assets in the upcoming NFL Draft to acquire Josh McCown. Fortunately for them, they might not need to. The Cleveland Browns know that other teams in the National Football League aren’t going to give up a lot to get McCown, especially since it is known that the Browns want to part ways with him.

What Josh McCown provides the New York Jets is time. It enables Jets head coach Todd Bowles to compete for another season with a competent quarterback while spending some resources on finding a future quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. Bowles might even opt to spend some of those resources on seeing if Geno Smith can be resurrected. Smith is talented, and the Jets’ offensive coordinator has a tremendous track record with quarterbacks, so a career revival cannot be completely ruled out.

In the NFL, one man’s trash can become another man’s treasure. We’ve seen players go from being unwanted by one team to becoming a star by another team because the stars align just right. The Atlanta Falcons gave up on Brett Favre, and he made history for the Green Bay Packers. Not that Josh McCown is going to be doing the same thing, but he can be of some help to the New York Jets.

[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]