Colt McCoy Rumor: Browns QB To Be Traded To Oakland?

Colt McCoy is rumored to be leaving Cleveland, sources said Thursday. ESPN reported that Colt McCoy may be released by the Cleveland Brown's new front office after they recently signed veteran free agent Jason Campbell. McCoy has a number of teams looking for a quarterback that may be interested, but one in particular stands out.

With rumors of Colt McCoy's release swirling, the Oakland Raiders (ironically, one of Campbell's former teams) are having difficulty re-signing Carson Palmer. Palmer is objecting to a possible contract pay cut. While the young Texas standout led the team to a disappointing 4-12 during the 2011 season, the Raiders definitely seem interested in Colt McCoy.

Since Colt McCoy was such a hot name at the time of his contract signing, the Browns look to gain almost $2.5 million in cap space from his departure. That could make room for an early draft of a quarterback the likes of Landry Jones or E.J. Manuel, which means starter Brandon Weeden may have some competition come training camp.

While the Oakland Raiders are rumored to be interested in Colt McCoy, they are also eyeing Matt Flynn, the Seahawk who recently backed up Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Since releasing later-Super-Bowl-winning coach Jon "Chucky" Gruden, the Raiders have experienced a quarterback/coach carousel of sorts. During that time, they started a number of quarterback busts, most notably the brash JaMarcus Russell.

After a history of snatching up aged backups and free agents, the Raiders may have something if the Colt McCoy rumors are true. The aforementioned Jason Campbell spent some time in Oakland after leaving Washington, but was never able to get any sort of streak going. The Raiders previously tried starting Kerry Collins, fresh off a Superbowl appearance at the end of the 2000 season. While still a backup quarterback, Colt McCoy is seen to have the youth and agility that the other free agent busts didn't.

A rumored Colt McCoy move may be the tip of the iceberg for what is set up to be an interesting 2013 season. Longtime Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid has moved to the prairie of Kansas City, the frequent "sleeper pick" Arizona Cardinals don't have Ken Whisenhunt at the helm any more, let alone a defined starting quarterback, and who knows what's next for Tim Tebow these days.