When the Philadelphia Eagles found themselves in need of a quality backup quarterback, they managed to lure the 40-year-old Josh McCown out of retirement.
In his five months with the Eagles, McCown helped stabilize their locker room and establish a positive culture, immediately earning the respect of his teammates, both young and old.
That respect was evident as McCown walked off the field on Sunday afternoon, having come up short in the only playoff game of his career after replacing the injured Carson Wentz.
With emotions flowing and his future uncertain, McCown was met with the encouraging words of his teammates.
“As far as the future goes, we’ll see,” McCown told reporters following the loss. “I haven’t made any decisions yet. I’ll get with my family and talk with them.
“I retired once, so I know how to do that.”
If McCown were to retire again, it’s entirely possible he goes back to work in TV, but it’s also possible he begins to receive some consideration as a potential coach. He makes sense as a quarterbacks coach, but Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media took that a step further and suggested the Giants hire him as their next head coach.
If he does retire, the Eagles should do everything in their power to bring McCown back on staff, whether that’s as quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach or, if need-be, the offensive coordinator to replace Mike Groh.
The Giants, actually, should take that one step further — John Mara, Dave Gettleman and company should interview him for, yes, their now-vacant head coaching position. If that’s too much for someone without experience, hire him now as offensive coordinator and then figure out the rest.
This is the NFL’s next great head coach, in the mold of Eagles coach Doug Pederson, and the Giants would be smart to get ahead of the curve.
That would be quite a risky endeavor for the Giants after two consecutive failed head coaches, especially when considering McCown has a grand total of zero coaching experience at any level. However, it is also clear he has the coaching DNA in him and with time, could become a legitimate name in NFL coaching circles.
Still, it would be a tremendous risk that could bottom out the organization for another several years and cost jobs in the process. Or it could be a brilliant long-term move if everything pans out. That’s the nature of playing the lottery, and exactly what this would be.
What do you say, Giants fans? Do you think hiring McCown would be an “ahead of the curve” move for the Giants or just the latest in a long string of disastrous decisions?
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