The Cleveland Browns confirmed on Friday that they have signed Josh McCown, and the veteran quarterback expressed excitement to help his new team and teammates for the 2015 NFL season.
McCown, who reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Browns, is looking forward to working together with his new teammates, but has one specific player that he wants to help - Johnny Manziel.
Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, had a rocky year in his rookie season both on and off the field. Aside from completing just 18 of 35 passes with two interceptions and no touchdown, Manziel was also a huge disappointment for the Browns because of his off-court issues related to late-night partying.
Now that he will be competing with Manziel for the quarterback position in Cleveland, McCown said that he is ready to do anything he can to help the former Heisman Trophy winner improve not only as a player, but also as a person.
"Johnny is a person, and every person that I come across has value to me, and they matter," McCown said in an interview with Alex Marvez and Mark Dominik of SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday. "And so I want to help him as much as I can with all parts of it. To grow as a person and as a player and to help him go on and have a fruitful career."
McCown was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this month after having a disappointing performance last season. The 35-year-old quarterback went 1-10 in 11 starts, completing just 56.3 of his passes for 2,206 yards with 11 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
Cleveland's decision to sign McCown came as a surprise to their fans and most NFL analysts because the Sam Houston State product failed to make an impact last season. The news also came after numerous reports indicated that they are planning to bring Brian Hoyer back for the 2015 NFL season.
But in a statement posted on their official website, Browns general manager Ray Farmer expressed confidence that McCown will make an impact in Cleveland with his experience and strong desire to win.
"He's known to be a great guy in the locker room and will be great for the quarterback room," Farmer said of McCown. "He knows how to get an entire offense on the same page and get a team to rally behind him. He has been exposed to a lot of different types of offenses."
