Former Texas Quarterback Colt McCoy Retires After 14 Years in the NFL

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy scrambles against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game in Seattle, on Nov. 21, 2021. Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

Colt McCoy, one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football history at the University of Texas, who went on to a 14-year NFL career, announced his retirement from the game on Monday.

McCoy released a career retrospective video on social media with the caption, “Thank you football.”

With retirement from pro sport, the 37-year-old is joining NBC Sports, which also announced on Monday that he would be a part of their coverage of Big Ten college football games this season. McCoy will be a game analyst and appear in the network’s studio show, “Big Ten College Football Countdown”.

His first game will be as a commentator for the Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Colorado Buffaloes game on Sept. 7.

“College Football has always held a special place in my heart. With the expansion of the Big Ten and new era of College Football, it is the perfect time to join NBC Sports,” McCoy said in a press release. “I can’t wait to share in the passion, excitement, and competitive spirit every week!”

This will be McCoy’s second year in the booth, and he has prior experience with NBC. During the 2023 NFL offseason, and before he was released by the Cardinals, McCoy served as an analyst for select USFL games with NBC.

Unsigned After Arizona Cardinals

McCoy was not signed to an NFL team during the 2023 regular season after he was surprisingly released by the Arizona Cardinals during final cuts after the preseason. McCoy was the presumed Week 1 starter for Arizona with Kyler Murray still recovering from knee surgery, but he was instead cut after struggling to regain his previous form after his own surgery.

McCoy did work out for the Minnesota Vikings in early October but never signed with the team, even after Kirk Cousins was lost for the year a few weeks later.

Prior to Week 18 of last season, when it was clear that the entire NFL season was going to go by with McCoy unsigned, he said he was open to playing in 2024 but was also content if he didn’t get that opportunity.

“I love the NFL. I love the Xs and Os. I love preparing, breaking teams down, matchups,” McCoy said on the “Pat McAfee Show” in January. “That’s really what I love about the NFL. So, I’m not saying ‘no’ to playing,” he said.

“If the right opportunity comes up next year, I might jump on it. But I’ve really enjoyed my time with my family, my kids, experiencing a little free time, some business stuff. I’m in a really good place. I would say I’m just very thankful and over the top grateful for getting to play 14 years in the NFL for sure.”

Quarterback Colt McCoy #12 of the Arizona Cardinals on the sidelines during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Aug. 11, 2023. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

McCoy wouldn’t be the first player to accept a broadcasting job but still leave the door open to a potential comeback. Just last month, Randall Cobb joined the SEC Network as a college football studio analyst, but on the same day that ESPN— which owns the SEC Network—made the announcement, Cobb was quick to say on Twitter that he was not retired.

Texas Longhorns

As it stands, McCoy’s 14 years in the NFL will always take a back seat to his five years in college with the Texas Longhorns. He redshirted on the 2005 Longhorns team that won a national championship with Vince Young under center before becoming a four-year starter and the only four-year team MVP in Longhorns football history.

He won 45 games as a starter, then the most in NCAA history, and set the NCAA single-season record for the highest completion percentage during his junior year in 2008. The following year, he led Texas to a 13-0 record before an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game, where the Longhorns lost to Alabama. McCoy was a two-time All-American, finished second and third in Heisman voting, respectively, in 2008 and 2009, and was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.

McCoy was a third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft, and they were one of five teams he played for, joining the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, New York Giants and Cardinals. He finished his pro career with an 11-25 record and threw for 7,975 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions.

He was often compared to Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford during their college days as their amateur careers paralleled each other. All three were annually in the Heisman picture, all three played in BCS National Championship Games, and all three were drafted into the NFL in 2010.

But while Tebow and Bradford both won Heisman Trophies and were both first-round NFL Draft picks, it was McCoy, who didn’t win the Heisman and didn’t hear his name called in the first round, who outlasted his contemporaries in the pros. McCoy ended up playing more NFL seasons than Tebow and Bradford combined.

McCoy also said on the Pat McAfee Show that he was open to coaching, but broadcasting appears to be his first step toward retirement.