Report: Josh Freeman Wants To Be Traded Or Released

Update

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports that QB Josh Freeman told him that he would like to get traded or released out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• According to Glazer, Freeman doesn’t want to be a distraction for the team and believes its time for both sides to just move on.

While Freeman may not want to be a distraction, his actions are accomplishing just that. He agreed to an interview with ESPN without consulting the team. Tampa Bay has him listed as inactive for Week 4’s game, so they appear to be distancing themselves from the situation all together.

It’s doubtful the Bucs would find any team willing to offer more than a late-round pick in return for Freeman. Cutting him loose would prevent them from possibly receiving a compensation pick at the end of the year, so we’ll have to see what comes of this in the near future. The trade deadline is October 29th.

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Update:

Ian Rapoport reports that the decision to replace QB Josh Freeman with rookie Mike Glennon came after he lost the Buccaneers’ locker room.

• Rapoport adds that none of the Buccaneers players were upset with the team’s decision and believe Glennon is actually “a better leader.”

Mike Silver spoke with multiple general managers who informed him that Freeman no trade value whatsoever.

• Silver added that the Bucs would probably need to pay most of Freeman’s remaining salary to facilitate a trade.
• Silver mentioned that the Bucs may not be able to get any more than a fifth or six-round pick for him before the October 29 deadline rolls around.

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Ian Rapoport spoke with two general managers regarding the idea of the Buccaneers trading QB Josh Freeman and neither one of them can see a fit as of now.

• Rapoport adds that Freeman’s “best case” scenario right now is to wait for a quarterback to get hurt.

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Ross Jones of Fox Sports reports that QB Josh Freeman is seeking a trade out of Tampa Bay.

• Jones adds that a “request to engage in talks is expected to come soon.”

The Browns and Jaguars reportedly do not have interest in trading for Freeman. The Vikings have been a popular speculative option since it was announced that the Bucs were moving forward with rookie QB Mike Glennon.

At this point in time, it’s hard to say if a market will develop for Freeman in the weeks leading up to the October 29 deadline, but it’s certainly possible.

We’ll have more as the news is available.

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Mark Long reports that the Jaguars have “zero interest” in trading for Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman. 

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that a league source has informed him that the Browns do not have interest in trading for Freeman either.

• Florio adds that the biggest obstacle in any deal will be the amount of money owed to Freeman.
• Florio also reports that teams did inquire about Freeman’s availability before the 2013 draft, but the Bucs were asking for too much in return for him.

Alright, we’ll cross them off the list.

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According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Buccaneers are reportedly open to trading QB Josh Freeman now that he has been benched in favor of rookie Mike Glennon.

• Rapoport adds that although Freeman is available, Tampa Bay has no intention of giving their quarterback away.
• Mike Florio notes that trade talks are likely to be impacted by Freeman’s remaining salary of $6.44 million.

Speculative trade options for Freeman could include the Browns, Jaguars, Raiders and Vikings, although it’s hard to say if any of these teams would be willing to offer draft compensation for a struggling quarterback like Freeman.

Browns

Cleveland appears to be content with Brian Hoyer as their starting quarterback. They also have Brandon Weeden on their roster as well, so it probably makes more sense for them to use the 2013 season as an evaluation period before targeting someone in the 2014 NFL draft.

Jaguars

Freeman would easily be an upgrade for the Jaguars, seeing as they’re forced to play either Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne. They too are likely to target a long-term quarterback prospect in next year’s draft, which means it’s unlikely that they would part with draft picks for a guy who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Raiders

There are plenty of questions regarding Oakland’s roster, but Terrelle Pryor has actually been much better than many would have expected. They’re already paying Matt Flynn a sizable salary to sit on their bench, so even though Freeman would probably be a decent upgrade, it’s unlikely that they will make a move during the season.

Vikings

With Christian Ponder struggling in Minnesota, it’s hard to rule out any possibility. Matt Cassel hasn’t been able to push Ponder for the starting job, but Freeman probably could.

NFL teams have shown a willingness to trade for skill position players during the season, but trading for a quarterback is a whole different story. It takes months to learn an offensive system and develop some chemistry with receivers. If Freeman is to be traded, I would bet it would be to a team who’s willing sit him for awhile in the hope that he could compete for a job at a later point in time. The fact that he’ll be a free agent after the season only complicates the issue further.