While the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and Colin Kaepernick's representatives spend the bulk of March engaged in a prolonged Mexican standoff, another quarterback might be entering the picture.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht acknowledged Monday that a trade for backup quarterback Mike Glennon is possible leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft.
"There's always interest. It's not a secret," Licht said, via the Tampa Bay Times. "There's always some interest. We'll see how it goes. We've got some time and this is something that could go all the way to the draft."
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport cited Glennon as a name to watch in Denver upon Brock Osweiler's defection to Houston earlier this month, but cautioned that it would take a big offer to pry him away from Tampa.
Licht insisted in February, "I'm not going to give Mike Glennon up, I'll just tell you that."
Although WFAN host Mike Francesa claimed Licht was demanding a first-round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for Glennon, the Bucs' general manager insists that's a misleading report.
"That's not true," Licht said. "I mean, I tell them what I think he's worth. I tell that to teams. I say, 'this is what we might consider.' But that's not necessarily true. ... It's false that I've been calling every team saying I need a first (round pick). I haven't been calling every team. Even with those that have inquired, it's been 'Let's keep talking.' It hasn't been, 'we need this.'"
In a quarterback landscape where an unproven Osweiler is collecting $37 million in guarantees for the next two seasons, it's conceivable that Glennon would be a competitive advantage at $675,000 for the 2016 season.
Both are 6-foot-7 signal-callers. While Osweiler has an edge in athleticism, Glennon boasts a stronger arm. Osweiler posted a 48.78 QBR and 86.4 passer rating on 275 attempts last season versus Glennon's QBR of 48.04 and passer rating of 83.3 on 203 attempts with a weaker Bucs outfit in 2014.
With Kaepernick (and Ryan Fitzpatrick) in a holding pattern, Glennon and Bengals backup AJ McCarron are the two most attractive trade targets.
Cincinnati is already a playoff team with McCarron under contract for two years, leaving little incentive to sell. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, should understand that the season is essentially over if Jameis Winston is lost to injury.
With Glennon poised to reach free agency in 2017, Licht doesn't have the luxury of turning down a second- or third-round draft pick that could be used to land a starter at another position.
