……and there goes the franchise.

If Josh lights it up next season and leads the team to the postseason, I can’t see the Bucs letting Freeman test the open market. It’s too risky a move to make. Now, if we see the same Josh (up and down, rough end of season finish) and the Bucs miss the playoffs again, I see Tampa Bay letting Freeman test the open market and he probably doesn’t return and Schiano goes in another direction and obtains his own guy at QB.

I hope Josh puts it together next year and leads the team to the post season. I don’t want to have to rebuild at the QB spot unless the Bucs have the chance to grab an elite prospect. I don’t see any elite prospects in this draft, but I guess one way to look at things from a worst case perspective would be if Freeman has a down year, the team likely has a down year and misses the postseason (again, ugh) and might be in a position to draft a difference maker at QB. Again, I hope Josh is that guy, and he has one more season to show the team that he is the present and future at QB, but if it doesn’t work out, I hope the Bucs do whatever it takes to find that difference maker at QB.

They wont tag him unless it’s an option three like scenario. By the end of next year it will be 5 years and you don’t tag a player “just to see” if the first 5 years was a fluke all the while waste a load of money we could use for the teams benefit.

There will be no more “excuse” scenarios for Free.

His contract is up after this season coming up, so those are the only options. How can they re-structure his contract without ending up with a Mark Sanchez contract? Stuck with a QB who you thought would improve but just got worst, and you guaranteed his final year so you can’t cut him.