The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed former Chicago Bears quarterback Josh McCown on a two-year contract.

McCown enjoyed an impressive season in 2013 despite being used as a back-up to Jay Cutler, ranking third overall in the league with a passer rating of 109.0 from his eight games.

New Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith wasted no time in revealing that McCown would start as his first-choice quarterback, but insisted that there would be competition for the job throughout the off-season.

"Every position there's competition. We have starting rotations. Gerald McCoy is at the top of the depth chart with our starting rotation and then you have to have a certain level of play for guys to stay that way," Smith is quoted as saying by ESPN.

"That's the way it's always been with me. There has to be a starting spot, a starting point, a starting person to go out there first and that would be Josh."

McCown's contract is reported to be worth $10m (£6m) overall, with $4.75m (£2.9m) in his first year and $5.25m (£3.2m) in 2015-16.