Quarterback Josh McCown has spent 17 years in the NFL and played with a lot of different pass catchers. You'd think some would stick out more than others, but not to McCown. In an interview with Bo Wulf of The Athletic, Wulf tested McCown's knowledge and the veteran signal caller was able to recall each of the 37 players that he threw a touchdown pass to over the course of his professional career.
Here's McCown remembering the first NFL touchdown he every threw:
Wulf: I wanna see how many of the 37 guys you've thrown a touchdown pass to in your career you can name.
Josh McCown: Ho-ly cow.
Carson Wentz: (Giggles) How many?
Wulf: Thirty-seven.
McCown: Thirty-seven guys. First one was James Hodgins (1).
Wulf: That's correct.
McCown: All right.
It's a huge variance of names on this list, to say the least. There's everyone from Anquan Boldin to Larry Fitzgerald to Alshon Jeffery to Brandon Marshall.
One of the most memorable touchdown passes of McCown's career came on the final day of the 2003 season when he was a member of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals trailed the Minnesota Vikings and needed a touchdown to win the game. After being flushed out of the pocket, McCown tossed a prayer into the end zone that Nate Poole caught to push the Vikings out of the playoffs.
McCown has certainly been well-traveled over the course of his NFL career. After being drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft, McCown spent time with the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Bears, and Raiders.
In 2018, McCown threw for 539 yards and a touchdown in relief of Sam Darnold while playing for the Jets.
McCown did have a little bit of trouble remembering the final player on the list. However, after some intense deliberation, McCown recalled that it was Marlon Moore of the Cardinals.
McCown: Thirty-six out of 37, I probably said five or six that weren't right.
Wulf: Yeah.
McCown: (Mumbling to himself) Who was our backup? Who was our other tight end? Not Jim Dray.
Wulf: It was a wide receiver. We already established that.
McCown: Oh, we said it was a wide receiver. Our wide receivers that year were Marlon Moore –
Wulf: Yes!
McCown: Marlon Moore (37)!
Wulf: Marlon Moore.
McCown: YES! Special teamer!
Wulf: There you go.
McCown: Marlon Moore caught a touchdown?
Wulf: Ten-yard pass.
McCown: How 'bout that.
Wulf: That's impressive. All 37.
McCown: All 37. Took way too long.
It's certainly plausible to remember some of the touchdown passes over the last few seasons when McCown wasn't playing a ton. However, to pull the rest of these from the early 2000s out of his hat is nothing short of astounding.