Josh McCown - Pro Football Rumors

Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Friday

March 11th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Zachary Links

When Chip Kelly was in charge of the Eagles, we often heard whispers that the coach coveted Colin Kaepernick and viewed him as the right kind of quarterback to lead his offense. Ever since Kelly has arrived in San Francisco, however, we’ve heard nothing but trade talk. After the first waive of free agency has left the Broncos, Jets, Browns, and other teams with question marks under center, the Kaepernick trade buzz has only gotten louder.

Here is the very latest on No. 7:

The Browns are willing to part with their third-round pick in 2016 for Kaepernick, but only if he restructures his contract, sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The 49ers want a second-round selection for Kaepernick, writes Cabot, who adds that Cleveland’s third-rounder (the second pick in that round) comes quite close to qualifying as one. The Broncos have the 63rd pick, but they don’t want to deal it for Kaepernick, tweets Albert Breer of NFL.com. Given that the Browns are likely to draft a quarterback in the first two rounds this year – perhaps as high as No. 2 overall – they might be averse to paying Kaepernick more than $7MM-$8MM per year (excluding potential incentives), according to Cabot. Kaepernick’s current average annual value is $19MM. Acquiring him would likely put veteran Josh McCown on Cleveland’s trading block, per Cabot.

Earlier updates:

The Broncos and 49ers remain apart when it comes to compensation on Kaepernick, according to Michael Silver of the NFL Network. Per Silver, the Browns and Niners are more on the same page regarding trade compensation, but Kaepernick’s agents and the Browns haven’t been able to make much progress on a rework deal for the quarterback. The NFL Network reporter notes that the 49ers are preparing for the possibility of keeping Kaepernick.
Silver tweets that the biggest question marks are whether the Broncos will increase their trade offer or whether the Browns will increase their contract offer for Kaepernick.
Kaepernick wants to play for the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The quarterback has respect for new head coach Hue Jackson, making Cleveland an attractive destination for him. In the Kaepernick sweepstakes, the Browns are considered to be a more realistic trade partner than the Jets, who aren’t believed to be a serious suitor. The Broncos are also serious about him and may consider Kaepernick their top quarterback target.
As long as Kaepernick isn’t dead set against joining a particular team, the 49ers will drive the decision and not the player, Michael Silver of NFL Network tweets.
The Browns are still trying to trade for Kaepernick, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. The Broncos are still actively in talks with the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
There is “no rush” by the 49ers to trade Kaepernick, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
Mike Florio of PFT believes the 49ers are intent on trading Kaepernick. Otherwise, he argues, they’d shooting down any trade rumors that come their way. Instead, Florio suspects that they are the source of many of these leaks.

Browns Place Josh McCown On IR

December 2nd, 2015 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 9:35am: The Browns have officially ended McCown’s season by placing him on injured reserve, the team announced today in a press release.

TUESDAY, 2:09pm: Browns quarterback Josh McCown is done for the season with a fractured collarbone, coach Mike Pettine told reporters (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). When asked about who will start the team’s upcoming game, Pettine indicated that things are still up in the air.

McCown finishes the year with fairly respectable numbers. The Browns only won one of his eight starts, but he completed 63.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,109 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Having signed a three-year contract with Cleveland, McCown still has some guaranteed money left on his deal in 2016, so he’s a good bet to return either as the starter or backup.

Now, the question becomes whether Pettine will install Johnny Manziel or Austin Davis as the starting quarterback going forward in 2015. After Manziel was removed from the starting job, he was moved down to No. 3 on Cleveland’s depth chart behind Davis. Technically speaking, that would put Davis in line for the temporary starting role, but the organization ostensibly would want to see what they have in Manziel rather that Davis, whose ceiling is likely as a backup in the NFL.

Josh McCown Likely Out For Season

December 1st, 2015 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

Josh McCown‘s return to the Browns’ starting lineup didn’t last long, as the veteran quarterback, who has been plagued by health issues all year, went down with a possible broken collarbone during Monday night’s loss to the Ravens. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, McCown will probably be out for the rest of the 2015 season.

The Browns have yet to confirm the diagnosis on McCown, and Cabot concedes that the collarbone may not be broken, but she hears from a source that the injury is likely serious enough to end the 36-year-old’s season either way. Considering the team has a league-worst 2-9 record, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be rushed back.

If McCown is officially ruled out for the year, the team will have a decision to make on his replacement. Austin Davis came on in relief on Monday night, while No. 3 quarterback Johnny Manziel sat on the bench. However, the club may ultimately decide that seeing what Manziel can do during the season’s last few weeks is too important to keep him behind Davis on the depth chart.

Manziel, of course, was removed from the starting job last week after photos surfaced of him partying at a nightclub in Austin. Reports indicated that the second-year signal-caller lied to the Browns about the photos, though the club never confirmed that.

As for McCown, if this is the end of his season, he’ll finish with fairly respectable numbers. The Browns only won one of his eight starts, but he completed 63.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,109 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Having signed a three-year contract with Cleveland, McCown still has some guaranteed money left on his deal in 2016, so he’s a good bet to return either as the starter or backup.

AFC Notes: Collins, Manning, Browns

November 29th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Star linebacker Jamie Collins has been out of the Patriots’ lineup since the end of October because of an illness, one that president Jonathan Kraft isn’t worried will spread throughout the team, per Mike Petraglia of WEEI.

“Jamie’s getting better and getting stronger every day,” Kraft said Sunday. “I know people in non-football life that end up with really bad viruses and get knocked out of their professional lives for a while.”

Continued Kraft, “This was something that doesn’t have us worried about the physical infrastructure at the facility. There wasn’t anything related to Jamie’s issues that had anything to do with the facility.”

Kraft’s words indicate that Collins’ illness isn’t MRSA, a staph infection-causing disease that has affected NFL teams in the past. Most recently, it ended the season of Giants tight end Daniel Fells in October.

Collins returned to practice Friday, so it appears he’ll be back in game action sometime this season.

And now a look at some of the Patriots’ AFC counterparts, including their Sunday night opponent:

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, currently on the shelf because of a plantar fascia injury, is eager to return to the field as soon as possible. The team doesn’t share in his eagerness, though, and it’s causing friction between the two sides, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Regarding the possibility of a healthy Manning backing up Brock Osweiler, a source told La Canfora, “We know this much — he’s not going to go quietly. He’s going to have to be dealt with.”
After briefly losing his job to Johnny Manziel, Josh McCown is back as the Browns’ starting quarterback – which he’s ambivalent about, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. While McCown relishes playing again, he isn’t pleased that his opportunity comes at the expense of Manziel – whom the Browns benched because of off-field issues. “You understand that you have a job to do, and the coaches make the decision and tell you you’re playing and you move forward accordingly,” said McCown. “But at the same time, I’m in the room with [Manziel] every day, and we’ve built a relationship. I’m a big advocate of his and a fan and a friend as well.”
The Browns have noteworthy free agents-to-be in safety Tashaun Gipson, tight end Gary Barnidge and receiver Travis Benjamin. If they only re-sign one, it should be the 25-year-old Gipson, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. Gipson hasn’t been as sharp this season after leading the AFC in interceptions in 2013 and ’14, which could drop his price. That’s something Reed believes the Browns should look to capitalize on after they couldn’t reach a long-term deal with Gipson last offseason, when he was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.

Browns To Start Josh McCown At QB

November 24th, 2015 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

A week after declaring that Johnny Manziel would be the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season, the Browns announced today that Josh McCown is returning to the starting lineup for Week 12. The decision comes in the wake of head coach Mike Pettine telling reporters that he was “very” disappointed in Manziel after video footage surfaced of the second-year QB partying at a nightclub in Austin, Texas.

“Josh McCown will be the starting quarterback on Monday night against the Ravens,” Pettine said in a statement. “I informed the quarterbacks of that decision after I sat down and spoke with Johnny, Flip (John DeFilippo) and Kevin (O’Connell) after practice today. Johnny will be the third quarterback. I’ve spoken to Ray (Farmer) and Jimmy (Haslam) to inform them of my decision, and they are in full support.

“Everyone in this organization wants what is best for Johnny just like we do for every player in our locker room. I’m especially disappointed in his actions and behavior because he has been working very hard. The improvements from last year to this year have been tremendous but he still has to consistently demonstrate that he has gained a good understanding of what it takes to be successful at the quarterback position on this level. It goes well beyond the field. We are going to continue to support him in every way possible, but at this point, we’ve decided it’s best to go with Josh as the starter going forward.”

Not only will Manziel not be starting this Monday, but he’ll find himself third on the depth chart. According to the club, Austin Davis will be McCown’s backup, and will be the next man up if the veteran struggles or goes down with an injury.

In the wake of Manziel’s latest off-field incident, his future in Cleveland has become increasingly murky. While he remains under contract through the 2017 season, with a team option for 2018, Manziel appears to be running out of chances to become the long-term answer at the quarterback spot for the Browns.

Browns Plan To Start Manziel Rest Of Season

November 17th, 2015 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

After declining to commit to Johnny Manziel for the last several weeks, Browns head coach Mike Pettine appears to have made a definitive call on the team’s quarterback situation for the rest of the 2015 season. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter), the Browns plan to start Manziel over Josh McCown throughout the remainder of the second half.

Manziel, who turns 23 next month, has started the Browns’ last two games, a pair of losses that saw the team outscored by a combined score of 61-19. Still, the sophomore signal-caller has shown some positive signs, completing nearly 75% of his passes and racking up 372 yards through the air on Sunday against the Steelers.

Manziel will have nearly two weeks to prepare for his next game, since the Browns are off in Week 11, then play the Ravens on Monday night in Week 12. He’ll also play his next three games in Cleveland, with the club set to host Baltimore, Cincinnati, and San Francisco before heading back out on the road. The combination of the bye week, that somewhat favorable schedule, and the Browns’ 2-8 record should take a little of the pressure off Manziel as the team sees what it has in him down the stretch.

As for McCown, the veteran has been battling a rib issue, but figures to return to the No. 2 role when he’s healthy. He remains under contract with Cleveland through the 2017 season, so the decision to go with Manziel the rest of the way doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve seen McCown playing as a Brown for the last time.

Depending on how the second half plays out, McCown could return in 2016 to compete for the starting job — he also wouldn’t be an overly expensive backup, with a base salary of $4.375MM due next year. Of course, it’s also possible he’ll reclaim the starting role before year’s end, if Manziel struggles badly or goes down with an injury of his own.

AFC Notes: Manning, Osweiler, Manziel

November 15th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest on some AFC quarterbacks:

Peyton Manning‘s dreadful 2015 season reached a new low Sunday when he completed just 5 of 20 passes for 35 yards and four interceptions in the Broncos’ 29-13 loss to the Chiefs. Head coach Gary Kubiak removed Manning from the game in the second half in favor of backup Brock Osweiler, but Kubiak took the blame for Manning’s poor showing afterward. Kubiak said that he “made a bad decision” in playing Manning, who entered the game with a rib injury (Twitter link via Troy Renck of The Denver Post). Kubiak added, “Peyton is our quarterback,” per Renck (via Twitter).
Osweiler was better than Manning on Sunday, completing 14 of 24 passes for 146 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But he doesn’t expect to parlay that into increased playing time. After the game, the fourth-year man echoed Kubiak and threw his support behind Manning. “Peyton is our QB,” he said, according to Renck (Twitter link). “We all support him 100 percent. I don’t expect to start.”
Browns head coach Mike Pettine will have a hard time taking the starting job away from Johnny Manziel and giving it back to Josh McCown after Manziel’s Sunday showing, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Though the Browns dropped a 30-9 decision to Pittsburgh, Manziel was impressive in completing 33 of 45 passes for 372 yards. In Manziel’s previous start, a 31-10 loss to the Bengals in Week 9, the second-year man hit on 15 of 33 throws for 168 yards. From at least a statistical standpoint, then, Manziel significantly improved this week. Pettine acknowledged as much, saying (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com), “He took a big step forward.”

AFC Notes: Hunter, Manziel, Pettine, Luck

November 15th, 2015 at 4:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Congratulations are in order for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who, with a four-yard pass to running back Ronnie Hillman, leaped Brett Favre and took hold of the NFL’s passing yardage record with 71,840 yards (and counting). It’s been a trying season at times for Manning — in fact, he threw an interception to begin today’s contest — but the future Hall of Famer earned some deserved recognition from the crowd following today’s accomplishment.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC:

Titans receiver Justin Hunter had to be carted off the field during today’s game against the Panthers, and head coach Mike Mularkey said the injury is “not good,” per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter link), who adds that Hunter has a cast on his right leg and is using crutches (link). Dr. David Chao of SiriusXM tweeted that the injury looks like a leg/ankle fracture, and postulated that Hunter will likely miss the remainder of the season.
Due to an injury to Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel started at quarterback for the Browns today, completing 33 of 45 attempts for 372 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 30-9 loss to the Steelers. However, head coach Mike Pettine‘s refusal to commit to Manziel full-time could be Pettine’s undoing, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. Per La Canfora, there is “sweeping support” for Manziel throughout the organization, from ownership to the front office to the coaching staff. By continuing to stick with McCown, says La Canfora, Pettine is putting his job at risk. Meanwhile, owner Jimmy Haslam told Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) that there will not be any coaching changes during Cleveland’s upcoming bye.
The NFL is still conducting its investigation into the Colts failure to report Andrew Luck‘s rib ailment on their injury report, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Indianapolis is expected to argue that it wasn’t necessary to include Luck’s rib injury given that it was actually a shoulder problem that kept him out of game action.

No Major Trades Expected For Browns

November 3rd, 2015 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

1:47pm: The Browns continue to discuss possible trades involving Mingo and Kruger, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

1:35pm: Within the last few days, the Browns have emerged as one of the most fascinating teams to watch at the trade deadline, with names like Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, and Barkevious Mingo emerging as potential trade candidates. However, despite all the rumors and speculation, Cleveland isn’t expected to participate in any major deals at this afternoon’s deadline, says ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

As I noted earlier today, there was a chance of the Browns becoming the day’s biggest seller if their asking prices were met, but those prices sounded quite steep. Several reports indicated the team was seeking more than a single first-round pick for Thomas, while one report suggested Cleveland wanted a third-round pick for either Mack or Mingo.

General manager Ray Farmer still has nearly 90 minutes to make a trade, and it remains possible he’ll make a move or two. It doesn’t sound like a player as notable as Thomas will be involved in any deal, however.

Here are a couple more Browns-related notes, as the deadline nears:

If the Browns do make a move, outside linebacker Paul Kruger is another player worth keeping an eye on. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the team is willing to pay some of Kruger’s remaining salary to complete a deal.
While Josh McCown hasn’t been ruled out yet, the Browns are preparing for Thursday’s game as if Johnny Manziel will start, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. The short week doesn’t allow for a banged-up McCown to get much in the way of recovery time.

Injury Updates: Sullivan, Chargers, K. Jackson

October 26th, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

We don’t cover every NFL injury at Pro Football Rumors, but generally if a quarterback or another notable player is expected to miss time, or if an injury is considered serious, we’ll pass that news along, since those are the injuries most likely to result in a roster move. Here are a few updates from around the NFL on injuries sustained in Week 7:

Vikings center John Sullivan, who underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy prior to the regular season, suffered a setback and had another surgical procedure, head coach Mike Zimmer said today (Twitter links via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Sullivan is on the injured reserve list with the designation to return, meaning he’d be eligible to return as soon as Week 9, but according to Zimmer, the center’s odds of playing this season are minimal (Twitter link via Tomasson).
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com passes along updates on a pair of Chargers injuries, reporting that the team fears linebacker Denzel Perryman has a torn pectoral, while guard Orlando Franklin is believed to have an MCL injury (Twitter links). Both players were set to undergo MRIs today to assess the damage.
Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson will be out “for a while” due to a sprained ankle, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters today, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Browns head coach Mike Pettine said today that Josh McCown is day to day with a shoulder injury, adding that “if our starting QB is physically able to play, we’ll start him” (Twitter links via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Johnny Manziel, who is currently under investigation by the NFL over a recent off-field incident, would be next in line if McCown can’t go.
In other Browns injury news, free safety Jordan Poyer is expected to miss time due to a shoulder issue, per Pettine (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).