Josh Freeman is admitting what everyone already knows, a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the best option for him. The quarterback's relationship with the team has been muddy ever since they opted to not sign him to a contract extension in the offseason. The recent benching of Freeman for rookie Mike Glennon was really just the icing on the cake.
"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," Freeman said, via ESPN.com. "The bottom line is for me as [a] player I can't worry about everyone else. I can't worry about what everybody is doing. I just have to focus on the best situation for me. ... Obviously the head coach [Greg Schiano] has come out and said that this isn't the place for me to be a starting quarterback."
The bottomline is, Schiano admitted that Glennon gave the Buccaneers the best chance at winning and Freeman may be lucky if he ever sees the field again in Tampa. So where does that leave the quarterback? Many believed that he would be untradeable do to his current contract. Freeman is owed $6.44 million for the remainder of the season in the final year of his rookie contract. For a quarterback that has completed less than 50 percent of his passes through three games, that's a lot.
However, there appears to one team that might consider a move. The Minnesota Vikings have announced that Matt Cassel will be starting on Sunday over the injured Christian Ponder. The quarterback has been suffering from a rib injury and will be unable to play.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports the Vikings are among the interested teams for Josh Freeman. At this point, any 0-3 team is desperate for a change. Ponder has yet to really be "the guy" for the Vikings since getting drafted in 2011. While some may argue the quarterback play is not the only issue in Minnesota, it is what is getting the most attention. So far this season, Ponder has completed 59 percent of his passes along with five interceptions.
The Buccaneers will likely request draft picks in return for Freeman. A late-round pick is the best they will be able to get since Freeman essentially has no value at this point. If Cassel does not work out in the coming weeks, this trade may actually happen.