After three years at Kansas State University, quarterback Josh Freeman was a rising prospect heading into the 2009 National Football League Draft. At 6’6″, 260 lbs., Freeman had the prototypical size and arm strength that NFL scouts drool over. Freeman left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers salivating as they used the 17th overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft on him. As a rookie Freeman started 9 games and he took his lumps as he threw 18 interceptions to just 10 touchdowns. By Freeman’s second season in the league he became the Buccaneers starting quarterback and he helped the team to finish the 2010 season with a record of 10-6. Freeman had an up and down season in 2011 which led to Raheem Morris being fired as the Buccaneers head coach. When Greg Schiano was hired as the new Buccaneers head coach in 2012, he never warmed up to Freeman in spite of the fact that the young quarterback passed for 4,065 yards to go along with 27 passing touchdowns that season. Schiano did not draft Freeman and thus he wasn’t one of his guys. And as Schiano continued to give Freeman the cold shoulder, the writing was on the wall that his days in Tampa were numbered.
Heading into 2013 Freeman was entering the final year of his rookie contract and Schiano didn’t show any interest in giving the quarterback an extension. Instead Schiano drafted quarterback Mike Glennon in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Freeman had fallen so far out of favor in Tampa Bay that his Buccaneer teammates did not even elect him as a captain in 2013 and after their 0-3 start to the season, Freeman was benched in favor of Glennon. Shortly thereafter Freeman demanded a trade which never came to fruition, but in early October he was released by the Bucs. Freeman appeared to land on his feet with the Minnesota Vikings, but he only appeared in one game with them.
Freeman entered this off-season as a free agent. The Chicago Bears showed mild interest in the former first-round pick as they recently brought him in for a workout and they were not impressed as he is still searching for employment by an NFL team. Freeman is only 26-years old and he has all of the talent of the world, but he currently finds himself in quarterback limbo.
In 2009, Freeman was drafted by Morris who was an assistant coach at Kansas State when Freeman played there as the two had familiarity with one another. When the Bucs prematurely fired Morris, Freeman’s career began to spiral. Prior to being hired by the Bucs, Schiano was the head football coach at Rutgers University and he never adapted to the professional game. Schiano was notorious for switching quarterbacks every season at Rutgers in spite of the team’s success. In the NFL professional quarterbacks need to be coddled and entrusted to be their respective team’s field general and Freeman never received that stability from the Buccaneers. When Freeman joined the Vikings, he was brought in by former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier who was relieved of his duties at the end of the 2013 NFL season. Freeman must be patient as he attempts to prove himself to the NFL in order to show teams that he is not immature and he indeed can guide a football team to success. At this point Freeman’s best shot would be to look for a role as a backup quarterback in 2014.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is 33-years of age and he is coming off of a season where he lead the NFL in interceptions with 27. Manning is fully entrenched as the Giants starting quarterback, but why not groom Freeman to be his heir apparent?
Like Manning in New York, Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the undisputed signal-caller for his team. Rodgers is coming off of a season where he missed 7 games as the result of a broken collarbone and although Matt Flynn showed a few signs as Rodgers’ replacement as the Packers starting quarterback last season, it would not hurt Green Bay to take a look at Freeman. Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is also one of the best in the NFL as far teaching the quarterbacking position. Freeman would receive a huge shot in the arm as far as learning from both McCarthy and Rodgers.
In his first season as Kansas City Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid led a turnaround last season which resulted in Kansas City making the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Reid did this last year with a quarterback in Alex Smith that has never blown people away with his arm strength. Reid isn’t fully attached to Smith and he is also one of the best head coaches in the NFL as far as having success with different quarterbacks. In his 15 years as an NFL head coach, Reid has made 10 playoff appearances with four different starting quarterbacks and it makes perfect sense for the Chiefs to give Freeman a shot in 2014.
In the NFL it only takes one out of 32 clubs to take a chance on you. Freeman has crapped out with three NFL teams in his career so far, but he still has a wealth of untapped talent. It would be a shame if he did not get at least one more chance at the sunlight in the NFL.
Source: Pro-football-reference.com
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