Josh McCown doubled as a pseudo coach at times during his Jets tenure, but now he has a shot at the real thing.
The longtime quarterback is a finalist for the Texans’ head coaching job, and is even considered to be the favorite, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The 42-year-old McCown, who has no coaching experience above the high school level, is set to get a second interview with the Texans. They have at least one other finalist, as Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is getting his second interview on Saturday, multiple reports said.
The Texans surprisingly interviewed McCown last year — months after they signed him to their roster — before they hired David Culley. But the Texans gave Culley just one year on the job before firing him earlier this month.
Working in McCown’s favor is his strong relationship with Texans vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, the Houston Chronicle reported. When McCown was with the Texans in 2020, he bonded with Easterby over religion and their shared belief in “faith, family and football,” according to the newspaper.
McCown spent two seasons with the Jets in 2017 and 2018, making a combined 16 starts and mentoring rookie Sam Darnold in the second year. McCown last played for the Eagles in 2019. In 2017, then-Jets coach Todd Bowles foreshadowed McCown’s future on the sidelines.
“If that’s what he wants to do, I can see him being an excellent coach when he’s done playing,” Bowles said. “He has a feel for people, the way he sees the game, the way he relates to people is very important, and he can put that all together.”