Tampa Bay Buccaneers Must Capitalize On Thinning Quarterback Market By Trading Mike Glennon

By Timothy Downs

After a hectic few days since 2016 NFL free agency began on Tuesday, it’s time to take a step back and look at the landscape. A number of moves have been made as franchises attempt to shore up the position, but a solid four or so teams still don’t know who their quarterback will be next season.

The New York Jets appear to be destined to lose Ryan Fitzpatrick, as the two sides couldn’t be further apart on contract terms. The Denver Broncos lost Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans, which was an unexpected blow.

The Cleveland Browns shockingly haven’t done much of anything at any position this week, and the Los Angeles Rams can’t stand the idea of making their return to the city of angels with incumbent Nick Foles under center.

Unfortunately for said teams, there simply isn’t an abundance of starting caliber quarterbacks still available through free agency. Robert Griffin III is drawing plenty of interest, but he’s undoubtedly a question mark. San Francisco 49ersColin Kaepernick could be available, but the 49ers know a thinning market increases his value, so they have a ton of leverage.

Thus, any team that currently has a solid player on its roster stands to receive sensational value in return in any deal.

Insert the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Mike Glennon.

Last offseason, a number of teams were interested in Glennon, but the Buccaneers expressed no interest in moving the former North Carolina State standout. This made some sense considering Jameis Winston had just been drafted and needed plenty of seasoning. But now that it appears Winston will be starting (barring an injury) under center in Tampa Bay over the next four seasons at minimum, Glennon is clearly expendable.

Glennon, 26, showed plenty of promise during his 18 total starts in Tampa Bay in 2013 and 2014. His career completion percentage isn’t ideal at 58.8, but he’s thrown for an impressive 4,025 yards and 29 TDs to 15 INTs. While his stat line isn’t overwhelming, it’s also nothing to sneeze at and proves he deserves another shot at starting in the NFL.

Glennon didn’t throw a single pass in 2015. And he’s likely to do nothing but carry a clipboard and offer moral support to Winston in 2016 and beyond. Sure, he provides an excellent insurance policy in case something were to happen to Winston, but finding another backup quarterback shouldn’t be an incredibly difficult chore.

Glennon is set to become an unrestricted free agent next winter, which means the Buccaneers could easily end up paying him to ride the pine in 2016, only to see him leave without getting anything in return for their investment. This is essentially Tampa Bay’s last chance to command a king’s ransom for a backup player unless a contender is hit with a devastating injury to their starter prior to the 2016 NFL trade deadline.

Failing to move Glennon now would be absolutely foolish, painfully shortsighted and borderline negligent at this point.

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