Full story at Freep.com:

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that the Lions are in trade negotiations with the Raiders regarding backup quarterback Josh McCown.

The Raiders apparently are looking for a veteran QB as they mull whether to draft LSU’s JaMarcus Russell or Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn with the top pick in this month’s NFL draft. McCown signed with the Lions last off-season, but lost the QB competition to Jon Kitna and saw his only game action at wide receiver.

Josh McCown spent the first part of his career in a doomed situation, playing quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. But his surrounding cast can’t be totally blamed, and he has been known to make mental mistakes.

Unfortunately, Oakland is left with few choices. The only free agent quarterback remaining with a shred of reliability as a passer is Trent Green — and he turns 37 this July.

No, the team must pursue McCown if only to provide (expected quarterback) JaMarcus Russell with a credible backup. Or the team could start McCown for part of the season until Russell comes to grips with the pro game and learns the offense.

This is certainly not a trade for the team’s future quarterback. McCown is a filler at best, and I’m guessing that the team wants him to take some pressure off Russell.

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