The Minnesota Vikings named Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach on Feb. 27, 2024. McCown, who played 18 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback from 2002-20, spent the 2023 season with the Carolina Panthers as quarterbacks coach.
In his first season with the Vikings in 2024, McCown worked with QB Sam Darnold, who was also in his first season with the team. Under McCown's guidance, Darnold became the first quarterback in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first year with a team since at least 1950 when quarterback stats began being tracked. He had the best season of his career in 2024, setting new career highs in nearly every passing category and finishing fifth in the NFL in passing yards (4,319) and fifth in touchdown passes (35) and sixth in passer rating (102.5).
Darnold, who was a 2024 finalist for The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year, was selected to his first Pro Bowl and named Pro Football Writers of America's Most Improved Player and Sporting News Player of the Year. He was also tabbed the NFC Player of the Month in September and NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 14 performance against Atlanta.
During his first season in the NFL coaching ranks in 2023, McCown helped develop rookie QB Bryce Young, the first-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young recorded at least 20 completions in eight consecutive games to start his rookie season, the second most in NFL history, trailing only Justin Herbert's 15 straight games with at least 20 completions in 2020.
McCown began coaching in 2010 while playing in the UFL for the Hartford Colonials, serving as a volunteer quarterbacks coach for Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, N.C., for two seasons (2010-11). Upon his return to coaching in 2019, McCown balanced playing for the Philadelphia Eagles while also serving as quarterbacks coach for Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C., where his sons, Owen and Aiden, played. That season, Myers Park went 12-1 and advanced to the third round of the NCHSAA 2019 4AA Football State Championships. In 2020, McCown was an assistant coach at Rusk High School in Rusk, Texas, where Owen and Aiden finished their high school careers.
Originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round (81st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft, McCown spent time with 12 NFL teams during his playing career, including the 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), Eagles (2019-20) and Houston Texans (2020). McCown played in 102 games, making 76 starts, and totaled 17,731 passing yards and 98 touchdowns on 1,584-of-2,633 attempts (60.2%). He also rushed for 1,106 yards and 13 touchdowns on 248 carries. While with the Browns in 2015, McCown was coached by O'Connell.
McCown spent his final collegiate season at Sam Houston State University in 2001 after playing three seasons for SMU (1998-2000). In one season with the Bearkats, McCown set single-season school records in completions (259), passing yards (3,481) and touchdowns (32) and was named Southland Football League Player of the Year.
A native of Jacksonville, Texas, McCown and his wife Natalie have four children – Owen, Aiden, Bridget and Aubrey. Owen plays quarterback at UTSA, while Aiden is a quarterback at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
