A peculiar phenomenon seems to be sweeping the Bay Area. Have the Buccaneers been cursed to never resign a Quarterback taken in the Draft?
Going back to Parnell Dickinson in 1976 all the way to the Mike Glennon, not one signal caller taken in the draft has survived his rookie contract.
Since 1976 that’s 42 drafts and 24 Quarterbacks. Some of those guys had a decent career in Tampa with wins and Pro Bowls on the resume!
Any fan can look over the names and careers of previously drafted players and will find many they recognize. Steve Young sits in the Hall of Fame, Vinny Testaverde had a career that spanned over 20 years in the NFL. Players like Shaun King, who could have been great, but were plagued by inconsistency that led to the end of their career. Every fan reading this will also know the name Josh Freeman, the guy set to lead the franchise forward to playoff wins and Super Bowl appearances. Freeman looked set to break the Bucks duck after going 10-6 with an impressive TD:Int ratio; then the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. Freeman was released and just couldn’t play at the level Tampa Bay fans had seen in that magical year, a year which would prove to be the pinnacle of his career. Recently Freeman announced his retirement and many fans were surprised, thinking he’d already retired.
Mike Glennon left after his rookie contract to experience being the number 1 guy in Chicago. That didn’t go too well, but news at the time suggested that talks were in place to offer Glennon a new contract, although the lure of a starting gig was too great.
The current player at the helm is number 1 overall pick, Jameis Winston, who is now facing a 3 game suspension for alleged inappropriate contact with a female Uber driver, after previous allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct during his time as a Seminole. This is an important year for Winston and it is possible that the Buccaneers front office may decide that Famous Jameis is too much of a headache. There’s no doubt that he has the talent to do well and would join the list of Quarterbacks (or even players in general) to leave Tampa and have a very successful career elsewhere if he was allowed to leave after his rookie contract.
If Winston does walk is it time to consider if there really is a curse? Are the Buccaneers doomed to never draft a truly franchise Quarterback?
