Browns deal McCoy to 49ers for draft picks

Published 4:41 am Tuesday, April 2, 2013

CLEVELAND (AP) — Colt McCoy’s days with the Browns indeed were numbered.

McCoy, who became expendable when Cleveland signed veteran free agent Jason Campbell last week, was traded Monday to the San Francisco 49ers, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The Browns will get a late-round draft pick, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet announced the trade.

McCoy started 21 games in three seasons for the Browns, who selected the former Texas star in the third round of the 2010 draft. However, McCoy lost his job last season when the Browns took Brandon Weeden in the first round, and McCoy was knocked farther down the depth chart once Campbell was signed to a two-year deal. Campbell is expected to play behind Weeden next season, but could challenge him for the starting job.

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CBSSports.com was first to report McCoy’s trade.

Last week, Browns CEO Joe Banner said the Browns would not release McCoy and would look for a trade partner. In San Francisco, the 26-year-old will compete with Scott Tolzien to back up Colin Kaepernick.

Because of injuries to Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, McCoy was forced into the starting lineup as a rookie and made eight starts. Though not blessed with a strong arm, McCoy made enough plays that the Browns kept him as their No. 1 QB in 2011. He started 13 games, but his season was essentially ended when he took a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit from Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison.

The Browns allowed McCoy to return to the game despite having a concussion, and the team’s mishandling of the situation led to the NFL making some changes to its policy on head injuries.

McCoy, 6-15 as a starter, appeared in three games last season as Weeden’s backup.

McCoy passed for 4,388 yards and 21 touchdowns with the Browns.