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After his heroic effort in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks last year, veteran quarterback Josh McCown seemed to have played his final snap of football.

McCown is now 41 years old. He’s coming off a torn hamstring he suffered in the playoff game last year. The Eagles were interested in keeping McCown around as a coach after last season, but he went home to Texas to be with his family instead. McCown will be staying in Texas for the 2020 season, but the Eagles will still be paying him $12,000 a week to do so.

Josh McCown has played 17 years in the NFL for eight teams

McCown is the very definition of a journeyman quarterback. The 41-year-old has played for eight NFL teams in his 17-year career, which is a fourth of the teams in the entire league.

In 2002, McCown started his professional career with the Arizona Cardinals, and he spent four years with the red birds. His four-year stint with the Cardinals turned out to be the longest of his career. He also spent three years with the Chicago Bears.

McCown went on to play for the Lions, Raiders, Panthers, Buccaneers, Browns, and Jets before announcing his retirement in 2019.

But that didn’t last long.

McCown came out of retirement to join the Eagles last season

Less than a year after he hung up his cleats, McCown came out of retirement to play the end of the 2019 season with the Eagles. He appeared in three games, including Philadelphia’s playoff game against the Seahawks. He fought hard with a torn hamstring and a depleted roster, but McCown and the Eagles eventually fell 17-9.

McCown was emotional in his postgame press conference, and it seemed as if he played his final snap of football after a long and prosperous career.

Well, he might not play another snap, but he’ll still make a healthy living from the Eagles this season.

McCown will make $12,000 a week to do nothing this season

McCown returned to his family home in Texas following the 2019 season, but the Eagles came calling again a few months later. The veteran will be joining the team’s practice squad as an emergency quarterback. The catch? He won’t even have to go to practice.

That’s right, McCown will stay in Texas for the 2020 season, but he’ll be keeping a close eye on the Eagles’ QB room in the process. The Eagles will pay McCown $12,000 a week to do so.

If Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts both get injured, then McCown might have to dust off his old helmet and hop on a plane. It’s much more likely the Eagles finish the 2020 season without needing to call McCown, but he’ll still bank over $200,000 for the 17-week season.

It might not be the highest, but under the circumstances, McCown might have the best contract in the entire NFL this year.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.