Former Browns quarterback Josh McCown isn’t ready to become a coach ... yet.
“I definitely don’t discount it as part of my future,” McCown said Thursday night during a wide-ranging phone interview with the Beacon Journal. “It’s just when that time is. I don’t feel like it’s now.
“I could wake up tomorrow and feel a deep conviction that, you know what, I was supposed to go that route, and I would pursue it. But right now, I feel like I still have something left to give as a player, so I want to maximize that as much as I can.”
The Browns cut McCown on Tuesday after his second season with the organization. Amid questions about McCown’s future in December, Browns coach Hue Jackson said he thought the 14-year NFL veteran would be “a rising star” as a coach. Jackson also revealed he told McCown he would be welcome to join his staff anytime he wanted.
“Whenever [Jackson] made the comment, we had talked about it and kind of kept the dialogue going,” McCown said, speaking from his home in Charlotte, N.C.
Jackson recently hired former Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach David Lee to fill the same position on his staff, but did Jackson ever consider McCown for the role?
“I’ll let you discuss that with Hue because I’m not in control of hiring,” McCown said. “That’s on their end whether they discuss that or not.”
Either way, McCown doesn’t want to retire as a player at this point. He has been working out and thinks he still has what it takes to start in the NFL.
“I feel like I can do that if required, but I also understand kind of where I fall in the quarterback market at my age,” McCown, 37, said. “I still feel like I’m capable of playing good football and playing at a level that I believe can help a team. So for me it’s just finding the right situation and being with the right people.”
McCown said he was “disappointed” the Browns cut him but left on good terms and understands “the scope of where they are with the position and what they’ve got to do to move forward for the future of that position.”
Coming off a record of 1-15, Jackson has made it clear quarterback is the key piece the organization must find this offseason.
“No doubt,” McCown said. “That’s not just the Browns. That’s probably 12 or however many other teams. The teams that don’t have one are looking for one, to try to find that young guy that they can build it around. So I think those are questions that they’re probably continuing to answer right now.
“It’ll be interesting to see the direction they go. But I definitely think it’s something they’re still finding out about and want to solidify.”
McCown is impressed with two veteran quarterbacks who the Browns could pursue this offseason: New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo and Bills starter Tyrod Taylor, who played for Lee the past two seasons.
McCown has watched some of Garoppolo’s game tape and said he possesses a “special skill set.” If the Browns don’t trade for Garoppolo and instead sign Taylor, who could be released by the Bills with a huge payday looming March 12, McCown said he has no doubt Taylor would “play winning football” in Cleveland.
Then there’s the draft. The Browns own the first and 12th overall picks and could select one of the top-rated quarterback prospects, such as Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky or Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.
No matter how it all plays out, McCown insisted he can see a light at the end of the tunnel for the Browns.
“As they continue to grow with [head of football operations] Sashi [Brown] and [chief strategy officer] Paul [DePodesta]’s approach and their ability to continue to build the team and work collectively with Hue and his vision for the team, I do [see reasons for optimism],” McCown said. “I think this first year, coach Jackson and everybody were learning about each other, what their needs are and where they need to take the team.
“I feel like Browns fans should be excited about what’s to come in the second year because I definitely see a step forward. Obviously, that’s easy to say because there aren’t a lot of places to go but up when you’re 1-15, but I just think the execution and the brand of football overall that you’re going to see is going to be better. It just comes from guys being able to stay in the system for two years. I think it’ll be very beneficial.”
The Browns went 3-13 in McCown’s first season with them, then won just one game during Jackson’s first season in charge. McCown entered the 2015 season as the starter ahead of Johnny Manziel and the 2016 season as the backup to Robert Griffin III. He went 1-10 as a starter for the Browns, often playing better than his record suggests.
“It’s a disappointing part of the story, and like a lot of guys, I’m leaving there wishing I would have and could have been a part of the change and seeing it turn around,” McCown said. “My favorite part will be the people ... everybody in the organization and the people I got to be around on a daily basis. I really appreciate [them].
“The city — from afar, you root for them because you want to see them find success. But then once you’re a part of it, you double down on that and you really want to see them be successful because you understand how passionate they are about their team.”
McCown has established a reputation for being a model professional, teammate and mentor. Those qualities combined with his vast knowledge of the game make him an ideal candidate to become an NFL coach.
However, McCown hopes to continue to lead as a player — and not just in the realm of football.
McCown and Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins were among five NFL players who met with members of Congress in November in Washington, D.C., to discuss ways to improve relationships between law enforcement and black communities. They also participated in a Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality panel discussion during last week’s Super Bowl festivities and talked about how professional sports can be used to help improve race relations.
“There’s a piece of our shared experience as Americans that as you journey in this country, you want to make it better,” McCown said. “You learn, if you’re fair with it, that sometimes your experience may be a little bit different than everybody else’s. Once you acknowledge that, for me, there’s a certain sense of responsibility to change that narrative a little bit and to be able to help.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.