NEW ORLEANS -- The price went up for New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown after his impressive turn as a fill-in for Drew Brees last season.
McCown agreed to a two-year deal with the Saints on Thursday night worth $3 million, according to a source. The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus.
It probably didn’t hurt the 34-year-old’s bargaining position that he was in Indianapolis on Thursday for a visit with the Colts.
McCown didn’t exactly break the bank. It’s not like we’re talking Brock Osweiler money. Still, that’s a nice bump from the one-year veteran minimum deals McCown had signed in each of the previous three seasons with the Saints.
And it’s a good sign that McCown may stick as Brees’ backup, even though they drafted Garrett Grayson in the third round last year.
It’s still possible that Grayson could outperform McCown this summer -- and it’s always nice when an NFL team can carry just two quarterbacks on the roster to open up spots for other players.
But McCown has proven very difficult to unseat in that backup role for the past three years after he held off developmental prospect Ryan Griffin. And the Saints likely value McCown even more now after seeing how he handled himself when thrown into the fire in Week 3 last year.
McCown nearly led the Saints to a victory at the Carolina Panthers while Brees was out with a shoulder injury. He completed 31 of 38 passes for 310 yards before throwing a late interception to Josh Norman in the end zone in a 27-22 loss.
McCown, who has made 10 career starts over 12 seasons with five different teams, also raised his profile last year with an unlikely starring role in a national advertising campaign. McCown made clever pitches for Verizon’s backup generators.
McCown ended the season on injured reserve after having back surgery in November, but he is expected to be healthy this offseason.
