Josh Freeman's days in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform could be numbered, as the fifth-year quarterback will be on the bench this week while rookie Mike Glennon takes the reins for the Bucs' (0-3) offense against the Arizona Cardinals (1-2) at Raymond James Field Sunday. It appears as though Freeman, who was reportedly at odds with head coach Greg Schiano after Week 2, doesn't want a trade but believes it could be the best option for him moving forward.
"You know, I don't for a number of reasons," Freeman told ESPN Thursday about his desire for a trade after losing the starting job Wednesday. "But bottom line is, if you want things to change, something has got to change. At the end of the day, yes. I think that moving forward that might be, that is going to be probably the best option."
The trade deadline is five weeks from now, but according to ESPN there have been no trade offers for Freeman as of yet from any team seeking a quarterback, but a lot can change by the time Week 9 rolls around.
"The bottom line is for me as [a] player I can't worry about everyone else," Freeman said Thursday per ESPN. "I can't worry about what everybody is doing. I just have to focus on the best situation for me. ... Obviously [Schiano] has come out and said that this isn't the place for me to be a starting quarterback."
Freeman has completed less than half of his passes with a 45.7 completion percentage, but he owns the franchise mark in touchdowns with 80 scoring passes to his credit throughout his career, though his two touchdowns so far this season are outweighed by the fact that he's thrown three interceptions. He's thrown for 571 yards so far this year while going 43-for-94.
There were reports of a disconnect between Schiano and Freeman after Week 2 that put Freeman's starting job in question, but both men shot down the rumors and Freeman appeared under center in the team's Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots, where the offense mustered up just three points and lost 23-3 to the banged up Pats.
Following that offensive debacle, Schiano had seen enough and opted to go with the rookie Glennon to see if he can turn around the team's 0-3 start, after penalties cost them wins in the first two weeks and the offense was stagnant in Week 3.
Freeman has changed his tune since the events following the Week 2 rumors that he wanted to be traded. During that time, he said, "no, not at all," when asked if he was seeking a new home, while Thursday after losing the starting job he indicated a trade could be the best thing for him moving forward.
Freeman has apparently fallen out of favor with Tampa Bay as he was named a team captain in the past three seasons but wasn't given the honor this year. Freeman reportedly hasn't shown as much leadership as he should and ABC reports that he was late to a team photo due to oversleeping.
Glennon was selected in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft, and finished his four years in North Carolina State with a 60.4 completion percentage while throwing for 7,411 yards with 63 touchdowns and 31 picks.
Freeman was selected by Tampa Bay 17th overall in the first round of the 2009 draft and is playing in the final year of his rookie contract. It appears as though the fifth-year quarterback could be donning a new jersey soon.
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