QB Josh McCown signs with Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterback Josh McCown's pro football career has lasted 17 seasons. His retirement from the sport is ending after all of two months, according to the NFL Network and ESPN. A semi-reluctant retiree even as he took work with ESPN, McCown was coaxed back by the Philadelphia Eagles, whose quarterbacks are dropping like flies in the preseason.

Nate Sudfeld (wrist) went down in the exhibition opener. Cody Kessler (concussion) exited in the second game. Suddenly, Clayton Thorson, a rookie selected deep into the draft (No. 167 overall), had become the primary QB in the preseason as starter Carson Wentz takes limited snaps.

Why not let Wentz play more? Well, his last two seasons were short-circuited by injuries, so the Eagles are exercising extreme caution with him.

McCown started as recently as 2017 with the New York Jets. At age 40, he deduced that midlife excellence, Tom Brady-like, was beyond reach, so he bowed out as a player.

While McCown closed the door on his career after last season, he never locked it. ESPN, which brought him on as an analyst, was informed that McCown might flee the network to accept an appealing offer.

He couldn't do much better than the Eagles, a Super Bowl contender with an injury-plagued starter. In fact, reports indicate that the team had contacted McCown prior to the recent injuries.

On the other hand, Sudfeld is expected back a few weeks into the regular season and Kessler sooner, so he could face competition for backup duties.

The compensation is better than what ESPN could offer: a guarantee of $2 million this year, with incentives that could bump the deal to $5.4 million, according to reports.