The Houston Texans gave the fans and media a mild shock last week when they announced they had interviewed third-string quarterback Josh McCown for the coaching vacancy.
Not quarterbacks coach, not quality control coach — the big job; the replacement for Bill O’Brien, who was fired on Oct. 5, 2020.
Some of it could have been token appreciation for his laudatory remarks about executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby. Albeit a cynical interpretation, it would also be logical.
McCown getting into coaching is not a surprise for other fan bases and media markets where the former Sam Houston State product has played. Around this same time last year in Philadelphia, the Eagles were actually in discussions about keeping McCown around on the coaching staff, as detailed by Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer from Jan. 22, 2020:
The Eagles discussed with quarterback Josh McCown the idea of returning to the team in a coaching role, possibly as offensive coordinator, during his exit interviews, NFL sources told The Inquirer.
While it’s unclear whether the team offered McCown a position, the 40-year-old veteran told the Eagles that he wasn’t ready to officially retire from his playing career, a source said.
Aside from meeting with coach Doug Pederson and general manager Howie Roseman, McCown also sat down with owner Jeffrey Lurie, according to a source. Lurie doesn’t typically meet with players immediately after the season ends.
McCown had already taken a job coaching his sons at their high school in Charlotte, North Carolina, when the Eagles came calling in 2019. They made arrangements to where McCown could fly down to Charlotte on Mondays and coach one day of game week, and then fly back down again on Fridays to coach in the games.
The Eagles saw coaching potential in McCown. The only puzzling aspect of how the Texans approached it is by letting him interview as the fourth full-time coach in team history.
