'I'm Proud of How My Career Has Gone': Josh McCown Retires After 16 Seasons in NFL
Quarterback Josh McCown announced his retirement from the NFL in the Players' Tribune on Monday.
McCown, 39, spent 16 seasons in the NFL. He played for 10 different teams, including the Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, Panthers, Bears, Buccaneers, Browns and Jets.
"So if you would have told me back then that I would go on to play for 10 different NFL teams over the next 17 years, I would have said, “Shoot, 17 years? I’ll take it,” McCown wrote in his Tribune column. “But 10 different teams? No way…. I guess it just goes to show that you don’t always get to choose your own path. But looking back, I’m proud of how my career has gone. I don’t shy away from the journeyman label. I embrace it, full force."
McCown, an SMU product, was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 draft. He was the last player from the '02 draft class. Julius Peppers, the only other active player from the group last season, retired in February.
Over the course of his career, McCown threw for 17,707 yards, 98 touchdowns and 82 interceptions. He went 23–53 as a starter.
McCown's younger brother, Luke, also plays quarterback. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 draft by the Browns, and last played in 2015.
