CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown is calling it a career.
After 15 seasons, including stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Browns, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCown announced his retirement from the National Football League in an essay posted to The Players’ Tribune, entitled “One heck of a journey.”
“I guess it just goes to show that you don’t always get to choose your own path,” McCown wrote. “But looking back, I’m proud of how my career has gone. I don’t shy away from the journeyman label. I embrace it, full force.
“Because it’s been one heck of a journey. And now, strange as it feels to say, after 17 years … that journey is coming to an end. Today, I’m officially retiring.”
In the piece, McCown thanked his wife, Natalie, for being “Superwoman” and holding the family together through moves to play for 10 NFL teams and a year in the defunct-UFL, as well as his four children, Bridget, Aubrey, Aiden and Owen, and his high school quarterbacks coach, Matt Turner.
“At the end of the day, no matter what team I was on, I tried to serve it to the best of my ability, and I tried to influence my team in a positive manner,” McCown wrote. “I hope I did that. And I made sure that when my number was called, I was prepared, and I gave it everything I had, every time. I may not have turned out to be the franchise quarterback I set out to be back at Cardinals rookie camp, but I’m extremely proud of the career I had.
“So to everybody who’s been a part of it -- Coach Turner, Natalie, my family, my teammates … everybody -- thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It’s been one heck of a journey.
“And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
During his two years with the Browns, McCown completed 276 of his 457 attempts (60.4 percent) for 3,209 yards and 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, good enough for an 85.7 quarterback rating, all while being sacked 41 times for 263 lost yards.
Following the announcement, the Browns tweeted out their congratulations to McCown, saying “We feel fortunate to have been a part of your journey.”