At Louisiana Tech, McCown soon began setting records, and he remains the team's No. 2 all-time leader for passing touchdowns, passing yards, and total offense. He still holds several NCAA Division I FBS records:
Most plays by a freshman in a single game - Louisiana Tech vs. Miami, FL, October 28, 2000. McCown gained 444 total yards during the game.
Most attempted passes by a freshman in a single game - Louisiana Tech vs. Miami, FL, October 28, 2000. He completed 42 of those passes.
Most completed passes by a freshman in a single game - Louisiana Tech vs. Auburn, October 21, 2000. He attempted 65 passes in all.
Most seasons of 2,000+ yards - From 2000—03, McCown gained 2,544, 3,337, 3,539, and 3,246 yards.
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Professional career
Cleveland Browns
McCown was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He went on to start in four games for Cleveland in his rookie season. After the season, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the weekend of the 2005 NFL Draft.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
During week 13 of the 2007 NFL season, McCown produced his finest performance as an NFL quarterback, throwing for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns during an emergency start for the injured Jeff Garcia in Tampa Bay's 27–23 victory over the New Orleans Saints. McCown started the next game against the Houston Texans and was 25-38 for 266 yards and no interceptions, but a loss. He came in relief in the second half of week 16 and threw for 185 yards and one interception. McCown started the last game as the Bucs had already clinched a playoff spot. He threw for 236 yards and one interception with 2 touchdowns. McCown played in 5 games, starting 3, during the 2007 season, and threw altogether for 1,009 yards, 3 interceptions, 5 touchdowns, with a 91.7 QB rating.
Jacksonville Jaguars
McCown was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for an undisclosed 2010 draft pick on September 5, 2009. He played as a backup to starting quarterback David Garrard the 2009 and 2010 seasons. On September 6, 2011, five days before the 2011 regular season opener, Jacksonville announced they were cutting Garrard and that McCown would succeed him as starter for the season opener. On September 18, 2011, McCown was benched after posting the lowest passer rating for a starting quarterback in Jaguars history.
New Orleans Saints
On June 7, 2012, McCown signed with the New Orleans Saints. He was released by the team on August 28, 2012.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons signed McCown to replace the released Chris Redman on August 28, 2012. As Matt Ryan's primary backup, McCown appeared in two games, on September 27 when Atlanta won 27–3 over the San Diego Chargers and December 16 when Atlanta won 34–0 over the New York Giants.
New Orleans Saints (second stint)
On April 1, 2013, McCown signed a one-year, $1.05 million deal with the Saints. After solid performances in preseason games, McCown was selected to serve as the primary backup to Saints starting quarterback Drew Brees. During the regular season he attempted a pass but it fell incomplete. In the regular season, McCown was the holder for placekicker Garrett Hartley. On September 25, 2015, Sean Payton announced that starting quarterback Drew Brees would miss the first game of his Saints career due to a bruised rotator cuff and that McCown would get the start on September 27 against the Carolina Panthers over rookie Garrett Grayson, marking McCown's first start since 2011 with the Jaguars. Luke's older brother Josh started for the Browns the same day, marking the first time the brothers both started since 2007. On November 5, McCown underwent successful lower-back surgery, effectively ending his season after he was placed on injured reserve. McCown completed 32 of 39 passes for 335 yards and an 82.1 completion percentage in 2015. On March 10, 2016, the New Orleans Saints signed McCown to a two-year, $3.00 million contract with a signing bonus of $500,000. On April 5, 2017, he was released after the team signed quarterback Chase Daniel.
On April 20, 2018, McCown announced his retirement.
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Personal life
McCown's brother Josh is also a quarterback in the NFL, he is a Journeyman quarterback who is a free agent. His older brother Randy played quarterback at Texas A&M University. Luke and his wife, Katy, have four sons and two daughters. McCown is a Christian. In September 2015, he starred in a series of TV commercials for Verizon Wireless, talking about Verizon's reliability and backup generators, joking that "I bet if they just had the chance, some of those backups would really shine." McCown started a game shortly after the commercial initially aired due to an injury to starting quarterback Drew Brees, throwing for 310 yards.
