Almost no one expects Josh McCown to remain on the Cleveland Browns for the remainder of 2016.
With the Robert Griffin III reclamation project underway, McCown sits squarely on the trade block and will likely be cut if no team is willing to part with minimal compensation to take his $4.38 million salary off the Browns' hands.
Per usual, the veteran is saying all the right things.
"Right now, it's come in and compete and show up, so that's what I'll do," McCown said Thursday on NBC Sports Radio, via Pro Football Talk. "If that changes, that changes, and I'll go to that next place and compete there as well. ... I'll go with that mindset, and if they see differently and I am traded or moved along, I'll appreciate my time there and then go embrace the next opportunity."
Despite McCown being a middle-of-the road stopgap, he'll still generate interest. The Denver Broncos and New York Jets remain among the teams considering adding the 36-year-old quarterback, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported.
While he has lost a lot of games on some bad teams the last few seasons, McCown's stats depict a quarterback who can perform at a replacement level. Teams could do a whole lot worse than a year of Josh McCown.
His playing style can lead to injury, but when on the field over the past three seasons McCown has put up similar numbers to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is currently seeking a lot more money from the Jets.
Past three NFL seasons:
Fitzpatrick: 39 games; 61.5 completion percentage; 7.3 avg.; 1.77 TD/INT ratio
McCown: 27 games; 62.1 completion percentage; 7.3 avg.; 1.9 TD/INT ratio
Since he's currently under contract in Cleveland, McCown said he's willing to work with RGIII if he remains in town. It's the same refrain he's used with other young players, including last year with Johnny Manziel.
"You want to compete and you want to have a shot to play, and so if a guy comes in and he's perceived to be the starter, as a competitor, you don't like that," McCown said. "But at the same time, understand that when you go through a coaching change and a restructuring of the organization, they're going to do whatever they can to help this football team be better. And so as a Cleveland Brown, I'm all for that and I'm behind that 100 percent, so we welcome Robert into the quarterback room as a part of our team, and I'll do everything I can to help Robert."
