TAMPA, Fla. -- At the conclusion of a 2-14 season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown had no illusions about his future.
With a 23-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Bucs secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. That means there’s a good chance the Bucs will draft a quarterback.
“You guys know my history and where I’ve been in this league,’’ said McCown, who has been in the NFL for 12 years.
I wouldn’t expect any other answer from McCown, who has been a starter and a backup while bouncing around the league. He’s a team player and he realizes that his age (he’ll turn 36 before next season) prevents him from being a long-term option.
Especially for a team that has a chance to get a franchise quarterback. McCown said he supports whatever coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht elect to do at quarterback.
“Whatever we decide to do, I trust those guys,’’ McCown said. “I trusted them when they brought me here. You can’t all of the sudden when they make a decision that doesn’t favor you go, 'I don’t trust them anymore.' I know that they’re going to make a great decision to help this team moving forward. Regardless of what that is, I want to help that guy help our team win football games.
“If that’s a defensive tackle, whatever I can do to help him. ... If it’s a quarterback, so be it. My mindset doesn’t change. I said when I got here that I want to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be successful. That’s my goal and I want to see the quarterback position play efficient football and we didn’t get that done this year. That’s what my five months will be about is how can I improve that as a player for myself and then help our group do that as well.’’
McCown’s bright enough to know that Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston are the two highest-rated quarterbacks in this year’s draft and there’s a chance the Bucs will take one of them.
“There’s a whole crop of guys coming and then the next year there’s going to be a whole crop of guys coming again and again and again,’’ McCown said. “That’s just part of this game. How you approach the game and being a pro is what keeps you in this game. I don’t really get caught up in where we’re picking and all those things. I know this: You’ve got to build your team through the draft and you’ve got to hit on your picks.’’
