Josh Freeman Has Narrowed His Choices Down to Three Teams

Sep 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman (5) calls a play during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Josh Freeman watch continues. Per Jason La Canfora, the former Buccaneers quarterback was contacted by as many as ten teams during the week and has now narrowed his list of potential landing spots down to three. Surprise: nobody knows for sure who the three teams are, but other reports list the Bills and, somewhat surprisingly, the 49ers as two likely candidates. The Raiders have also been widely mentioned as a place Freeman would like to end up due to his relationship with offensive coordinator Greg Olson.

And where are the Vikings in all this? At this point they appear to be totally out of the running. Freeman was initially believed to have interest in coming to Minnesota but apparently the interest was not mutual. Or maybe Freeman took another look at the situation and decided the Vikings wouldn’t be such a good fit after all? I say that because of an interesting line from La Canfora’s report on Freeman:

"Freeman, who will earn a full $8.6M this season, was not as focused on the finances of his next deal, but more looking at the full scope of the opportunity, sources said. That includes the ability to play in the short or long term, the quality and stability of the coaching staff and the degree of the team’s interest, more so than weighing varied financial offers."

The boldface in the above quote is mine. Quality and stability of coaching staff? That might have been a dealbreaker for Freeman when it came to playing for the Vikings. Leslie Frazier and OC Bill Musgrave are both coaching for their jobs right now basically, and evidently Freeman is not interested in stepping into that kind of situation. I can’t say I blame him.

La Canfora reiterates an earlier Mike Florio report saying Freeman could have a new team by Sunday night. The suspense is practically giving me a slight tummy ache.

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