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Tampa Bay Buccaneers release QB Josh McCown

By Phil Watson

Dec 7, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Detroit won 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Detroit won 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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A year ago, he was the top free-agent quarterback on the market. Today, Josh McCown is reportedly a man looking for another new team.

The honeymoon didn’t last long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Josh McCown, who was reportedly released Wednesday after playing one year on the two-year, $10 million contract he signed in March.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN:

None of the $5.25 million McCown was owed for the second year of the deal was guaranteeing, meaning the Bucs don’t have any sort of salary cap impact from releasing the 35-year-old.

McCown, a 12-year veteran, had a magical 2013 season filling in for an injured Jay Cutler with the Chicago Bears, posting a career-best 109.0 passer rating and throwing 13 touchdowns to just one interception in 224 attempts, for 1,829 yards and a 66.5 completion percentage.

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Chicago was 3-2 in the games he started.

It was McCown’s first extended action since 2007, when he made nine starts for the Oakland Raiders.

The magic didn’t come south with him, however.

He was hurt in Tampa Bay’s third game this season, missed six weeks, and was only able to lead the team to one win in his 11 starts.

McCown completed only 56.3 percent of his throws for 2,206 yards and 11 touchdowns with 14 picks, a passer rating of 70.5—the second-lowest among qualified passers in the NFL, ahead of only Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Blake Bortles.

McCown began his college career at SMU, where he spent three seasons before transferring to Sam Houston State as a senior. He was taken in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals and made 22 starts in four seasons there.

He has also played for the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers in his career, starting 49 career games, with 61 touchdown passes and 59 interceptions.

According to pro-football-reference.com, McCown has engineered four fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives in his career, most recently in a Nov. 17, 2013, game against the Baltimore Ravens, when he led the Bears to a 23-20 victory, taking Chicago’s offense 60 yards in overtime to set up Robbie Gould’s game-winning 38-yard field goal.

The big play on that drive was a deep pass to tight end Martellus Bennett that got the ball into field goal range, picking up 43 yards on the connection.

That was been McCown’s first drive of that sort since the final game of the 2004 season.

His younger brother, Luke McCown, is a backup quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and also serves as the holder on field goals and extra points.

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