Acquisition of Josh McCown makes perfect sense for a rebuild

It was announced by the New York Jets on Tuesday night that the team has signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown. Despite some major criticism, the move makes plenty of sense for an organization looking to rebuild and continue to groom their young quarterbacks.

Coming off of a horrible 2016 season at the quarterback position, it was clear from day one of the offseason that the New York Jets would need to make an offseason move. With initial targets such as Mike Glennon, Brian Hoyer, and Tyrod Taylor coming off of the board early, the pickings became very slim.

At this point the Jets were looking to sign a veteran, stop-gap option with names such as former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and former Eagles quarterback Chase Daniel rising to the surface. After a few weeks, New York finally found their guy in the thirty-seven-year-old journeyman and former Browns quarterback Josh McCown.

As previously mentioned, McCown is a true journeyman quarterback. He was a third-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2002, and since then he has played for seven different organizations. He most recently played in Cleveland these past two seasons where he saw plenty of time as the starting quarterback.

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This wealth of experience combined with his renowned character and mentorship ability is what makes McCown a nearly perfect fit for the Jets’ current situation. His work ethic and character will be great for all of the young players on the Jets’ roster to look up to. On top of that, he will be able to help both young quarterbacks on the roster in Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg to understand what it takes to win games in the NFL.

In terms of what he will contribute on Sundays, McCown is just good enough to do a solid job making sure that the rest of the Jets’ young offense continues to develop. Once either Hackenberg or Petty is ready to take over the reigns at quarterback, McCown will step to the side and expand on his role as a mentor.

To put a cherry on top of things, Mccown’s contract is absolutely perfect for what the Jets need him to be. It’s a one-year deal with six million dollars with the opportunity for an additional seven million dollars to be made in incentives.

This deal is great for the Jets because it will allow for McCown to be the one-year mentor that he should be before clearing the way for a new, young quarterback. If he overachieves during the 2017 season, McCown will make the money that he deserves for his achievements.

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All in all, McCown is a great fit for the Jets’ current roster. He will be a great mentor to the young players and quarterbacks on the team, and his contract values him right where he should be considering the role that he is expected to play.