Josh McCown
(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

In a radio interview, the veteran in Josh McCown reveals just how lucky the New York Jets are to have the youngster, Sam Darnold. 

Count Josh McCown as one of the many believers in Sam Darnold.

Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio this weekend, McCown, the Jets’ incumbent starting quarterback, was inevitably asked about Darnold, the rookie handpicked by the Jets to be the long-term solution at football’s most important position. The NFL veteran, set to enter his 16th season, likes what he sees out of Darnold thus far.

“With Sam, we have the right guy, he’s wired the right way, he loves the game, he asks the right questions and he’s willing to work,” McCown said. “That’s the foundation, you have to have that.”

This isn’t the first time that McCown has offered Darnold a positive review. During mandatory minicamp, last month, Ethan Sears of the New York Post documented McCown’s on Darnold’s first football activities.

“Every day I feel like he goes out and gets better,” McCown said. “I think for all of us, but really for young players, you’re discovering something new every time you step on the field.”

McCown is currently penciled into the top slot on the Jets’ quarterback depth chart, with Darnold slated third at this time. They sandwich veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who signed a one-year deal in March. The journeyman McCown tied a career-high previously set in 2004, making 13 starts for the Jets, his eighth NFL team. Despite a 5-8 mark as the starter, he set a new personal best with 18 touchdowns.

The quarterback battle will be one of many positional struggles to watch at training camp, which will open for the Jets on July 26.

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