Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman soon will begin the final season of his rookie contract. If he gets off to a great start during the 2013 season, he’ll still have to finish his rookie contract.
G.M. Mark Dominik told WDAE-AM on Saturday (via JoeBucsFan.com) that the team will wait until the season is over before addressing Freeman’s status.
“I think there’s just a comfort level that everybody understands where Josh Freeman’s going,” Dominik said. “Let’s focus on this season, and then, we’ll go after the season’s over.”
If Freeman has a huge year, the Bucs will have a problem. They’ll have to decide whether to pay Freeman what he wants, whether to risk another team trying to sign him in exchange for a pair of first-round draft picks via the non-exclusive franchise tender, or whether to start down a path that could cost $80 million over three years via the exclusive franchise tag.
It’s a risk the Bucs are willing to take, possibly because they believe that Freeman won’t play so well that it backs the franchise into a corner. And possibly because they believe in rookie Mike Glennon.