Any remaining goodwill between Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is melting away under the Florida sun like a popsicle.
After the quarterback voiced his displeasure over being benched during an unauthorized interview with ESPN on Thursday night, Freeman is headed for no man's land.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported Friday that the Bucs are considering making Freeman their inactive third passer for Sunday's meeting with the Arizona Cardinals.
Bucs coach Greg Schiano on Friday refused to comment, telling reporters he'll announce his active players 90 minutes before kickoff.
If Freeman is deactivated, Dan Orlovsky would backup rookie starter Mike Glennon. The move would cap a weeklong free fall for Freeman, who has started 59 games for Tampa since 2009 and was -- until this season -- seen as the quarterback of the future.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Freeman wants a trade. The NFL's trade deadline is Oct. 29.
"I think that moving forward -- that might be -- that is going to be probably the best option," Freeman told ESPN's Josina Anderson on Thursday night of a possible deal.Â
Freeman's agent, Erik Burkhardt, told Anderson he's willing to restructure the final year of the quarterback's deal -- worth a whopping $8.43 million -- to heighten interest in his client.
But it's not just the greenbacks. Rapoport spoke with a pair of NFL general managers Wednesday, who suggested Freeman will draw no interest unless a starter goes down to injury. Rapoport was told the quarterback is not seen as a hard worker.
Putting Freeman on camera with ESPN, after advising him not to speak with reporters Thursday, was a questionable move by the player's agent. Doing so behind Tampa's back won't warm potential suitors to a trade.
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