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. He made his first start as a Jaguar in the season opener against the Tennessee Titans, completing 17 of 24 passes for 175 yards. On September 18, McCown was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert, after posting the lowest passer rating (1.8) for a starting quarterback in club history. He appeared in 4 games with 2 starts, completing 30-0f-56 attempts for 296 yards and 4 interceptions.