Quarterback Josh McCown left the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad to take a backup job on the Houston Texans active roster, and executive vice president and interim general manager Jack Easterby was one of the influential people involved in that decision.
McCown, 41, wanted to be closer to home in East Texas, and the opportunity to play for the Texans was too hard to pass up. Easterby was also part of the process of sweetening the deal.
“We did have conversations and it was just more of what this team has to offer and why it was a good fit,” McCown said. “Just wanting to add experience to the quarterback room and wanting to add somebody else that could play if needed if they got down the stretch. For me, looking for a fit that was closer to home and I don’t know necessarily if I would’ve made this move with anybody else other than somebody who was a couple hours from the house.”
One of the discussions that McCown had with Easterby was on the status of the team, its direction, and also what it was like to work with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
McCown was looking for a way to “come and help and serve.”
Said McCown: “I think that’s the ultimate key, is when you’re making a decision like that it’s what can we do? Where do you see me in my role? How can I help you? How can I help be a part of it?”
The former Arizona Cardinals 2002 third-round pick had been with the Eagles, his 11th NFL team, since 2019, even filling in for Carson Wentz in the NFC wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Eagles were a second home for McCown.
“At the end of the day I knew my heart wanted to be in a building with the guys and just doing that from a distance — while it was good, it’s not the same,” McCown said. “So, that was the biggest thing. The conversations with Jack were good, just kind of mapping those things out and understanding what the expectation what the expectation would be.”
The Texans take on one of McCown’s old teams, the Cleveland Browns, Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at FirstEnergy Stadium.