What is Josh McCown's Net Worth?
Josh McCown is an American professional football player and coach who has a net worth of $20 million. Over this 16 seasons in the NFL, Josh earned $52 million in NFL salary.
Josh McCown currently serves as the quarterbacks coach for the NFL's Carolina Panthers. As a player, he spent tenures with 12 different teams between 2002 and 2020, including the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Philadelphia Eagles. McCown also did a stint with the UFL's Hartford Colonials in 2010.
Early Life and High School
Josh McCown was born on the Fourth of July in 1979 in Jacksonville, Texas. He has an older brother named Randy and a younger brother named Luke, both of whom became football players. While attending Jacksonville High School, McCown had a major growth spurt that boosted his prospects as a football player. In his senior year in 1997, he was named the East Texas Player of the Year and helped lead his school to the playoffs. McCown also played basketball, winning All-District second-team honors as a shooting guard.
Collegiate Career
McCown began his collegiate career playing football at Southern Methodist University from 1998 to 2000. During his three seasons at SMU, he passed for 4,022 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also threw 34 interceptions. For his senior year, McCown transferred to Sam Houston State, where he managed to surpass his three-year SMU touchdown total in just one season. With the Sam Houston State Bearkats, he passed for 3,481 yards and 32 touchdowns. The team finished the season with a 10-3 record, and went on to defeat Northern Arizona in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs. The Bearkats ultimately fell to Montana in the I-AA quarterfinals. McCown subsequently played in the 2002 Senior Bowl.
Arizona Cardinals
In the 2002 NFL Draft, McCown was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals. He made his debut on December 1 in a brutal loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. McCown played only one other game that season. He saw more playing time in 2003, when he was the backup to Jeff Blake for the season's first 13 games and the starter for the season's final three games. In the final game of the season on December 28, McCown threw a game-winning touchdown pass to eliminate the Minnesota Vikings from playoff contention. McCown finished the season with 1,018 passing yards and five touchdowns, plus a career high of 158 rushing yards. In the 2004 season, he started the first nine games, leading the Cardinals to a 4-5 record. McCown returned at the end of the season to start the final four games, and threw his first career 300-yard game on December 12. He finished the season with 2,511 passing yards and 11 touchdowns.
McCown signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals in March of 2005. In October, he set a new career high of 398 passing yards with two touchdowns in a loss to the Carolina Panthers. McCown finished the season with 1,836 passing yards and nine touchdowns over nine games. For the second year in a row, the Cardinals finished third in the NFC West. Following the 2005 season, McCown became a free agent. He ended his tenure with the Cardinals having played in 33 games, amassing 5,431 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
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Detroit Lions
In March of 2006, McCown signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Lions. For all 16 games of his first and ultimately only season with the team, he served as backup to Jon Kitna. After that season, McCown asked to be traded so he could return to a starting position.
Oakland Raiders
McCown was traded to the Oakland Raiders in April of 2007, and was eventually named the team's starter. However, after suffering a foot injury in the third game of the season, he was replaced by Daunte Culpepper for a while. McCown later returned as starter. He finished the season with 1,151 passing yards and 10 touchdowns across nine games.
Miami Dolphins
Upon becoming a free agent in late February 2008, McCown signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. However, after he failed to appear in the team's final three preseason games, he lost the starting position to free agent quarterback Chad Pennington and was traded before the start of the regular season.
Carolina Panthers, 2008-2009
McCown ended up with the Carolina Panthers in late August 2008. He went on to serve as backup to Jake Delhomme for all 16 regular-season games in 2008, ultimately playing in two. In 2009, McCown played just one game before being placed on injured reserve in mid-September, ending his season.
Hartford Colonials
A free agent, McCown moved to the UFL to sign with the Hartford Colonials in the summer of 2010. In his single season with the team, during which he served as captain, he passed for 1,463 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games.
San Francisco 49ers
In August of 2011, McCown signed with the San Francisco 49ers; however, he was released in early September.
Chicago Bears
McCown signed with the Chicago Bears in late 2011 as a backup to Caleb Hanie. He spent one season with the team before he was waived on August 31, 2012. However, McCown re-signed with the Bears in November after starting quarterback Jay Cutler had a concussion. Although he became an unrestricted free agent in 2013, McCown signed again with the Bears. His final season with the team was one of the best of his career, as he threw for a career-high four touchdowns and ran for another to become the first Bears quarterback to score five touchdowns in a game since Jack Concannon in 1970. McCown received the Bears' Brian Piccolo Award for his achievements.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In March of 2014, McCown signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his first and ultimately only season with the team, he threw for 2,206 yards and 11 touchdowns across 11 games. McCown was released by the Buccaneers in February of 2015.
Cleveland Browns
Following his release from the Buccaneers, McCown signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns. In Week 5 of the 2015 season, he set a new regular-season single-game career record with 457 passing yards. McCown was later placed on injured reserve in early December, ending his season after eight games. In 2016, he played in five games, amassing 1,100 passing yards and six touchdowns. McCown was released by the Browns in early 2017.
New York Jets
In March of 2017, McCown signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets. He had a strong season before being placed on injured reserve in mid-December; across 13 games, he passed for 2,926 yards and 18 touchdowns, both single-season career highs. McCown subsequently signed a one-year contract extension with the Jets in 2018.
Philadelphia Eagles
Following his tenure with the Jets, McCown announced his retirement and accepted a job as an NFL analyst for ESPN. However, he returned to the NFL in August of 2019 to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. The team made it to the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, where McCown completed his first-ever playoff pass. Ultimately, the Eagles lost to the Seattle Seahawks. In 2020, McCown was signed to the Eagles' practice squad as an emergency quarterback.
Houston Texans
McCown was signed by the Houston Texans in late 2020. After being turned down for the team's head coach position, he was released in March of 2021. McCown sought the position again in early 2022, but was again turned down.
Coaching Career
McCown began his coaching career as a volunteer quarterbacks coach at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina. He later served as an assistant coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, where his sons play. In early 2023, McCown was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers.
Personal Life
With his wife Natalie, McCown has four children. The family resides in Waxahachie, Texas. A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, McCown has served in athletic ministries and spoken to church youth.
