INDIANAPOLIS — In a surprising move, the Vikings have hired NFL journeyman Josh McCown as their quarterbacks coach. He takes over for Chris O’Hara, who served as quarterbacks coach the past couple of seasons, and will remain on the coaching staff as a pass game specialist.

The decision to hire McCown, 44, comes at a time when the Vikings are facing some serious questions at that position. Will they opt to bring back franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins coming off his 2023 season-ending injury? Will they move on from him and instead turn their attention to luring a free-agent quarterback? Will they prioritize a rookie quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Whoever the Vikings end up with at that position, McCown will now be in charge of working with that person on a daily basis. It’ll be interesting to see how he connects with head coach Kevin O’Connell as they work to keep the Vikings explosive on offense.

As a player, McCown bounced around 12 teams over 18 seasons in the NFL, suiting up for Arizona Cardinals (2002-05), Detroit Lions (2006), Oakland Raiders (2007), Miami Dolphins (2008), Carolina Panthers (2008-09), San Francisco 49ers (2011), Chicago Bears (2011-13), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014), Cleveland Browns (2015-16), New York Jets (2017-18), Philadelphia Eagles (2019-20) and Houston Texans (2020). He finished his career with 17,731 passing yards and 98 touchdowns across 102 games, while adding 1,106 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

As a coach, McCown most recently was the quarterbacks coach for the Panthers, helping develop rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Unfortunately for McCown, the Panthers struggled immensely last season, and he was fired along with head coach Frank Reich after a 1-10 start.

Originally, McCown got his start as a volunteer quarterbacks coach for Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, N.C., while he was still playing  for the Hartford Colonials of the now-defunct UFL. He took a break from coaching for a about a decade while he continued playing in the NFL before getting the opportunity to be the quarterbacks coach for Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C.. His sons were on the varsity roster at the time and McCown actually served in that role while still playing for the Eagles at the time.

Maybe the most notable thing about McCown’s rise in coaching is the fact that he interviewed to be the head coach of the Texans while he was technically still a player. He then interviewed to be the head coach of the Texans again after he officially retired.

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