Plenty of reports about interest in players go up in smoke during the first round of the NFL Draft and this year’s list includes the Buccaneers’ desire to add quarterback Johnny Manziel to the roster.
The Bucs passed on Manziel in favor of his favorite college receiver Mike Evans and coach Lovie Smith said that Mike Glennon was the team’s quarterback of the future during the draft. Smith’s statement was accompanied by reports that the Bucs turned down trade overtures for Glennon, which didn’t come as a surprise to Glennon because he says he’d been assured all along that he was a big part of the team’s plans.
“It was communicated a while ago both with Lovie and [General Manager] Jason [Licht],” Glennon said, via ESPN.com. “We sat down and they discussed what the plans were for Josh moving forward and they told me this all along, that I was their guy moving forward. Right now, it’s a different situation with Josh [McCown] here, but they told me this for a while now, that this was the plan, this is what’s going to happen and I’m looking forward to this season still competing and helping the team in any way I can and just following their lead.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on NFL Insiders Tuesday that Glennon has “opened some eyes” around the Bucs so far this spring and will compete with McCown this summer even though Smith anointed McCown the starter when he signed as a free agent. McCown would seem to be the favorite in any competition given how quickly the Bucs moved to bring him on board, but Glennon certainly looks like a part of the picture.