Josh McCown would come back to Jets, even if they draft a QB
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Josh McCown has heard the talk about Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, etc. being the Jets’ new quarterback.
Still he’s hoping he is under center for the Jets again in 2018.
“It’s hard to say, ‘Hey, I want to go somewhere else’ after you had the best year of your career,” McCown, a pending free agent, said Friday at the Super Bowl. “I liked being there and loved the organization and the guys in the locker room. I think there was a good foundation laid, something special and something that can be built. I understand and respect the evaluation process that has to take place and let’s see where that leads us. Who knows?”
McCown was part of a panel for RISE, an organization that is trying to improve race relations and drive social progress through the power of sports.
The 38-year-old had a huge year in his first season with the Jets, playing better than anyone expected. He broke his left hand on Dec. 10, ending his season early. McCown still had a light wrap on the hand Friday, but said the injury is almost healed.
McCown said he would be fine with coming back to the Jets, even if they tell him they plan on drafting a quarterback with the No. 6 pick.
“I came here with a guy that has just gotten picked in the second round [Christian Hackenberg],” McCown said. “That’s part of this business. For me, I’m going to come in and be part of the quarterback room and assimilate the best that I can and give away my experiences and share that with whoever is in there. Whatever the case may be I’m all for it.“It’s hard because you never like to see anybody lose their job either,” McCown said. “That’s the [crummy] part of this business. That said, Jeremy’s a guy I worked closely with this whole year. If that’s the opportunity he gets, I’m going to be excited for him. I look forward to him putting his imprint on this team.”
“I know we have older quarterbacks around the league who are pushing the envelope, but the reality is none of us are going to play forever and you understand that. I’ve said it from Day 1, I really root for these guys being able to find that long-term answer at quarterback and want them to succeed. If that’s through the draft or that’s through people already on the team if I can be a part of helping that, I’d love to.”
If McCown does come back, he will have a new offensive coordinator. The Jets fired John Morton after the season and are expected to promote quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates to the position.