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In a move that can't be good news for fantasy football owners hoping that Johnny Manziel will pan out in their Dynasty leagues, the Browns on Friday agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Josh McCown, who spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to various reports, Cleveland signed McCown, 35, to a three-year deal.

As NFL.com's Marc Sessler suggested, landing McCown all but assures that general manager Ray Farmer has moved on from Brian Hoyer, who posted a 10-6 mark in Cleveland over two seasons, the best record of any Browns starter since the team's return to the NFL in 1999. NFL Network's Albert Breer reported that head coach Mike Pettine phoned Hoyer to inform him of the McCown signing.

Hoyer played in 14 games for the Browns in 2014, throwing for 3,326 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He lost his starting position to Manziel in Week 15, but was forced back into action after Manziel suffered a season-ending injury.

According to Cleveland Plain Dealer staffer Mary Kay Cabot, the difference between McCown and Hoyer is that Hoyer has made it clear that he wants to start, and that he's established himself as a winning quarterback over the past two seasons. McCown, on the other hand, is more than willing to serve as a mentor to young quarterbacks such as Manziel and Connor Shaw.

When Manziel gets out of rehab, he'll need all the help and support he can get, and McCown will excel in that role, a source told Cabot.

"I just want to serve our team and help everybody in that locker room, do my best to help everybody in the locker room be better at their job and they're going to help me, too. It's a two-way street," McCown said in a Browns release. "I'm just excited about coming in and being a part of a team.

"Year 1 was a solid first year for coach Pettine, and to see the vision with what he's got going on is exciting to me. In my room, I want to be able to help those young guys and pass along my knowledge and experiences I've had and help them grow. (I'm) going to compete at the best level I can to help our team get better."

The question becomes what that level might be.

The career journeyman has produced a 17-32 record since joining the league in 2002. His finest work came two seasons ago in Chicago, where McCown threw 13 touchdowns to just one interception under the watch of Marc Trestman.

His play fell off a cliff in Tampa, though, where he started 11 games, completing 56.3 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 70.5 quarterback rating while guiding the Bucs to an NFL-worst 2-14 record.

Still, with Manziel working his way through rehab, McCown immediately becomes the leader in the clubhouse to start Week 1 for the Browns (although it seems likely they'll be adding another passer in the draft). Farmer said at the combine that Pettine charged the front office with finding him another starter sooner than later.

For now, McCown is it.

In addition to citing the team's strong offensive line, the newcomer believes the Browns have the components all quarterbacks love.

"We're going to be good at running the football and playing defense and being smart with the football at quarterback," McCown said. "Those are the things I know are going to be stressed. Those are the things I'm going to be focused on as we compete.'