Report: Possible Jets Quarterback Target McCown Negotiating With Bills
BUFFALO, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Has Rex Ryan beaten the Jets to the punch?
It appears that the Buffalo Bills are negotiating to sign veteran free agent Josh McCown to address their long-standing needs at quarterback.
A person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press on Thursday that contract talks are taking place between the two sides. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills do not comment on contract discussions.
The negotiations began after the 35-year-old spent the previous two days visiting the Cleveland Browns. Two weeks ago, McCown spent two days meeting with Bills officials and touring Buffalo. He has also visited the Jets and Chicago Bears.
McCown is a 12-year NFL veteran who went 1-10 in his only season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released by the team earlier this month. Overall, he has a 17-32 career record split among six teams.
New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles are also faced with improving a quarterback situation that has been a disaster for quite some time. However, the prevailing thought now is the Jets might be willing to give Geno Smith a clean slate and at least let him begin the season as the starter.
The Jets will likely need another quarterback, but whether they find one in the draft or on the free agent market remains to be seen. Other veteran options could include Jake Locker, Matt Moore and Brian Hoyer, not to mention Michael Vick, who will likely be released by the Jets before free agency begins. A highly unlikely option is Mark Sanchez, who guided the Jets to two AFC championship games before playing his way out of the organization.
The Bills also have serious problems at quarterback.
EJ Manuel, who lost the starting job four weeks into last season, is the only experienced quarterback on the team's roster after journeyman Kyle Orton announced his intention to retire following the season. Ryan hasn't given up on Manuel, though McCown would be given a shot to compete for the starting job.
McCown, who spent the 2011-13 seasons with the Chicago Bears, is familiar with Aaron Kromer, Buffalo's new offensive line coach. Kromer was the Bears offensive coordinator in 2013, when McCown went 3-2 filling in for injured starter Jay Cutler.
The Bills haven't ruled out adding at least two quarterbacks to their roster this offseason.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
