The Minnesota Vikings announced that they are hiring Josh McCown as their quarterbacks coach on Tuesday.
McCown will replace Chris O'Hara for the position, while O'Hara will move to pass game specialist. McCown was most recently with the Carolina Panthers as their quarterbacks coach last season. He was fired along with Frank Reich in November after a 1-10 start.
This is a curious move by the Vikings. Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, who Minnesota has expressed interest in bringing back, has played well with O'Hara as his QB coach. While O'Hara is still with the team, bringing in McCown could signal that the Vikings have a contingency plan involving a new quarterback of the future.
McCown is highly respected around the NFL. He remarkably played in the league for 19 season and managed to get a head coaching interview with the Houston Texans while he was still playing for the team in 2021. Before joining the Panthers McCown coached at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
That is of note because his quarterback there was Drake Maye, a first-round prospect in the 2024 NFL draft. Even if the Vikings bring back Cousins, it's clear that his days as the team's starter are numbered and they need to start developing someone for the future.
Also of note is that Cousins and Maye share the same agent representation. Perhaps McCown is being brought it to groom Minnesota's next franchise QB, but right now all we can do is speculate. Cousins is set to hit free agency and the Vikings have the No. 11 overall pick in this year's draft.
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