CLEVELAND -- It didn’t take long for the Browns to part ways with Colt McCoy after Joe Banner said just a week ago that he had no plans on releasing McCoy. Banner said the Browns would listen to trade offers and found a partner with the 49ers.
The Browns signed free agent Jason Campbell to compete with Brandon Weeden, but expected ultimately to be Weeden’s backup. That left little room for McCoy, who is described as more of a West Coast offensive quarterback. Thaddeus Lewis is the third quarterback still on the roster.
Also, McCoy’s salary was set to be in the neighborhood of $1.5 million.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Browns traded McCoy and their sixth-round pick (173rd overall) for the 49ers fifth-round pick (164th overall) and their seventh-round pick (237th overall). In effect, the Browns moved up nine spots and added a seventh-round draft pick. The Browns announced that they received two undisclosed draft choices and gave up McCoy and one undisclosed pick.
The 49ers traded Alex Smith to the Chiefs and McCoy is expected to be Colin Kaepernick’s backup. Joining the 49ers, McCoy will be re-united with former Browns teammate and fellow Texas alumnus Phil Dawson.
“Just heard 12 will be leaving Cle. Been a great teammate and even better friend for years now. Best of luck in San Fran @ColtMcCoy.” Tweeted by Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya, who was also a teammate of McCoy’s at Texas.
A message left for McCoy was not returned before press time.
McCoy was drafted in the third-round (85th overall) in 2010 and was 409-of-702 (58.3 pct.) for 4,388 yards. He had 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and a 74.8 rating.
In 2011, McCoy started 13 games and threw for 2,733 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and a 74.6 rating. McCoy played most of the 2011 season without a running game as Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty were injured, a weak wide receiver corps and an injured right tackle in Tony Pashos.
The Browns made the decision to draft Brandon Weeden with their second first-round pick in 2012 and he became the starting quarterback. In 2012, McCoy played in just three games and was 9-of-17 for 79 yards, including a touchdown.
Overall, his record as a starting quarterback was 6-15.
In other news, the Browns began their off-season program as first year coach Rob Chudzinski welcomed over 60 players Monday to Berea.
"It was great to see the guys as a group for the first time,” Chudzinski said. “I was extremely pleased with the turnout - we had more than 60 players participate. I believe that the program Brad (Roll) and our strength staff has devised will greatly benefit our players.”
Chudzinski and his staff have not been able to work with players and begin implementing the new offensive and defensive playbooks until now.
These next two weeks will be an opportunity for the players to get acclimated to our offseason program, spend some time getting to know each other and also to have some meeting time with their position coaches before having our first organized on-field work on April 16."
The Browns will have a minicamp for three days from April 16-18, a week prior to the NFL Draft.
