Former West Texas Quarterback Announces NFL Retirement

“Thank you, football,” a post on his X account read. “Excited for the next chapter.”

McCoy, 37, first made a name for himself in high school football out in West Texas, where he played quarterback for the Jim Ned Indians. He led the Indians to a state championship appearance in 2003 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2004.

In college, McCoy was a two-time finalist for the Heisman Trophy for the Texas Longhorns before he embarked on an NFL career that lasted for 14 seasons. He won a NCAA Division-I record 45 games as a four-year starter for then-Head Coach Mack Brown from 2006-09.

Texas Tech fans remember McCoy as a perennial thorn in the Red Raiders side for most of his career. However, Texas Tech had the last laugh in the end when the Red Raiders beat No. 1 ranked Texas in the final seconds 39-33 on the Crabtree catch with less than ten seconds to play in the contest.

The Cleveland Browns drafted McCoy in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He posted an 11-25 record as the Browns’ starter in a time when dysfunction at the top ruled the franchise. McCoy then spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, and most recently, the Arizona Cardinals.

McCoy appeared in a total of 56 NFL games. He threw for 7,975 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions as an NFL quarterback.

The ex-Longhorn now moves into the booth as an analyst for NBC. He will cover Big Ten games this season. McCoy will make his debut on September 7 for the Nebraska versus Colorado game.