The Texans have the last of seven head coaching vacancies this offseason and they interviewed a really interesting candidate on Friday.
Longtime NFL quarterback Josh McCown got an interview.
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McCown, 41, was with the Eagles in 2019 as their backup quarterback — they signed him after Nate Sudfeld broke his wrist in the summer — and McCown ended up playing most of the team’s playoff game against the Seahawks.
And in 2020, McCown began the season on the Eagles’ practice squad as a remote participant. The Eagles paid McCown $16,000 per week to be on their practice squad while living remotely in Texas. He was their COVID-19 insurance plan in case the coronavirus ripped through the Eagles’ quarterback room.
It was an idea brought to the Eagles by McCown’s agent and McCown remained on the Eagles’ practice squad until the Texans signed him to their active roster in early November.
McCown coached his son’s high school football team last year while still on the Eagles’ active roster but this would be quite a jump for him. NFL Network had some more details of how it might work.
The Eagles really liked McCown during his time in Philly and even broached the idea during his exit interview after the 2019 season of his possibly joining the staff in a coaching role, possibly offensive coordinator, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Here’s what former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said about McCown after the 2019 season ended:
NFL
“First of all, I appreciate everything that Josh McCown did and brought to this team and this organization. His mentoring with Carson [Wentz] was second-to-none. Sometimes you have relationships where the coach-to-player relationship is different than the player-to-player relationship, and I think he and Carson had a tremendous relationship all season and it really helped [Carson] perform at a high level.”
McCown hasn’t coached in the NFL before but he has been a player in the league since 2002. In fact, at age 41, he’s older than three of the six coaches who have been hired this offseason: Arthur Smith (38), Brandon Staley (38), Nick Sirianni (39).
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