Weeks before the Buccaneers drafted quarterback Mike Glennon, other teams sensed that Josh Freeman was on the outs in Tampa.
And so other teams inquired about Freeman’s availability. But the Bucs, per a league source, wanted too much for Freeman.
The problem in part is that the Buccaneers would have had to find a quarterback to replace Freeman. There’s no guarantee Glennon would have been available in round three without Freeman on the roster; a team picking below Tampa that coveted Glennon would have been inclined to try to jump the line via a trade.
One possibility, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times explained on Wednesday’s PFT Live, was Carson Palmer.
Now with Freeman benched the Bucs will get far less than they could have gotten in the offseason -- if they can even get anything. From a draft-pick standpoint, Freeman could be a steal. But he won’t come cheap financially, either for the balance of the 2013 season or as a free agent in 2014.
The best bet for both sides could be to wait for a starting quarterback on a contending team to be injured over the next four weeks and six days, and then to try to work something out that gives Freeman a chance to play with a supporting cast that puts more talent around him and for a coaching staff that puts more faith in him.
If a trade doesn’t materialize, Freeman’s best bet will be to stay in shape, to keep his head low, and to wait for his next chance, even if that chance doesn’t come until next season.