The takeaway: He has every tool to be a great quarterback, but his maddening erratic play makes him hard to believe in fully. (The Buccaneers appear to feel the same way.) Freeman is entering a contract year and is at peace with whatever happens.
"I'm excited about getting this year going," Freeman told WDAE-FM. "It has nothing to do with ... a contract year, finding out, oh, is he signed for this? What happened? I know God has got a plan for me, it's all going to work out in the end.
"If I just give it the best I've got regardless ... if I give it the best I've got and the Buccaneers say, 'Ah, we don't think he can play for us,' at the end of the year and every other team in the NFL does and I end up wherever I end up doing whatever, I'll be content because I'll know I gave it the best I had."
Freeman is better than plenty of starting quarterbacks out there. He's shown enough talent that many teams would be happy to take him as their starter. Even if Freeman isn't trying to focus on his contract, he knows this is a make-or-break season with the Greg Schiano regime.
"Come hell or high water, trust me, dude, we're going to win some games this year. The Bucs are going to be a force. I'm pumped up about that," Freeman said.
If they win -- even a 9-7 season -- we would expect Freeman to stay right where he is.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
