New York Jets: Is Josh McCown the new Rich Gannon?

New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown could be this era’s Rich Gannon, and Jets fans should be happy.

It’s understandable that fans of the New York Jets want to look toward the future and past Josh McCown. This draft class is supposedly filled with real-deal quarterbacks and future 10-year talents. That said, we don’t know what the future actually holds.

For instance, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen was injured in his final regular season game. What if he becomes injury prone? Sam Darnold could be just another draft bust and the fact that he allows too much to get into his head could become a problem. The inconsistency and inaccuracy of Josh Allen could rear its ugly head in the NFL. All of these are big possibilities. Then again, they could all become good or great quarterbacks.

All that being said, think back for a minute about the Oakland Raiders and Rich Gannon run from 1999-2002. It included three 10-win seasons and division titles for the team. And for Gannon it included four trips to the Pro Bowl, three First Team All Pro selections and the best season of his career.

It ended with a Super Bowl appearance which ended in a loss, a game that could’ve ended differently had it not been for Barret Robbins going AWOL.

Fast forward to 2017. While McCown’s itinerary is a bit longer than Gannon’s, their paths seem a little bit similar. McCown is having the best season of his career this season, but Gannon improved in each of his four seasons in Oakland. Additionally, 2001 was his best season until 2002.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Browns make surprise pick at No. 1

All of you reading this want that 10-year or more quarterback who will give you what Tom Brady and Peyton Manning gave to New England and Indianapolis, respectively. You may not get that. Instead of hoping for something to come out of the draft, imagine (hypothetically) three consecutive AFC East titles and a trip to the Super Bowl. You’d take that in a heartbeat.