Josh McCown leaves Buffalo without a contract

Dec 21, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) drops back to pass against the Green Bay Packers as the Green Bay Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-3 at Raymond James Stadium. Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) drops back to pass against the Green Bay Packers as the Green Bay Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-3 at Raymond James Stadium. Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Josh McCown, who was released by Tampa Bay last week, visited Buffalo but is not a Bill as of now

The McCown express has left the station.

Free agent quarterback Josh McCown arrived in Buffalo yesterday to talk about joining the Bills, but left today sans contract, according to Pro Football Talk.

More from Buffalo Bills

As a retread veteran with low upside, McCown is probably the most Buffalo Bills quarterback out there, and hopefully no one in Buffalo actually thinks he’s the answer. However, they’ve also pretty much decided that EJ Manuel isn’t the answer either, and with no first round pick this year, their options are limited.

While they could succeed to a degree with another Kyle Orton type under center (solid play with few mistakes), this is a team with a contending caliber defense, and they need an offense to match.

Without a first round pick, options are few and far between, which probably explains why McCown was in Buffalo.

The free agent market is scarce, limited to options like Brian Hoyer, Jake Locker, and maybe Sam Bradford. The Bills could spend their second round pick on a QB, but they would still need a veteran to mind the store for a while, depending on the readiness of whichever prospect they were to draft. Their best chance may be a trade for someone like Nick Foles, but again, without a first-round pick they may be easily outbid.

And everyone suggesting that Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez reunite clearly doesn’t remember what that was actually like the first time around.

For his part, McCown’s surprisingly efficient 2013 season is still recent enough that may teams may take a chance on him as a starting option, even if he is 35 and there’s nothing else in his career history that suggests that 2013 was anything but an outlier. He was, is, and continues to be Josh McCown.

If the Bills do go into 2015 with McCown as their starter, may I suggest the following slogan: Josh McCown and the Bills: a match made in mediocrity heaven.

More from FanSided