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Josh McCown decides to sign with the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have a new quarterback. Yet another one.

Josh McCown, who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a lost 2014 season, has opted to sign with the Browns over other teams he met with, including the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Chicago Bears.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the deal was for three years.

McCown, who turns 36 on July 4, struggled in his one season with the Bucs, going 1-10 as a starter and throwing for 2,206 yards with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He had signed a two-year, $10 million deal before the season, coming off a terrific 2013 campaign with the Chicago Bears with a 13-1 touchdown-interception ratio.

The market was surprisingly strong for McCown after his release, likely indicating a few things:

• Other teams view McCown's bad season as an aberration.

• The free-agent market at the position looks mostly terrible.

• The draft, after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, doesn't hold much promise either.

• There is widespread desperation for any kind of quality play at the position.

The Browns are McCown's seventh team since he entered the league in 2002. He has a career TD-INT mark of 61-59 in 49 career starts, plus a slew of relief appearances in an NFL life spent as much as a backup as a starter. His 11 starts last season were his most in a year since 2004, when he started 13 games for the Arizona Cardinals, his first club in the league.

With Johnny Manziel in rehab, Brian Hoyer set for free agency and Connor Shaw an undrafted rookie, the Browns needed something — anything — to steady the ship at quarterback. New offensive coordinator John DiFilippo and quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connell will be given a veteran who is smart and savvy but who has been prolific only in recent years during that one hot stretch in Chicago when Jay Cutler was hurt.

It's likely that McCown will be the Browns' opening day starter the way things look now, and so yet again this snakebit franchise is seeking stability at quarterback. They hope McCown at least is temporary relief for their decades-long issues at the position.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!