CHART: Josh Freeman's Performance Wasn't Keeping Pace With His Increasing Salary
In 2011, Josh Freeman had one of the best seasons ever for a quarterback under the age of 23 when he threw for 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. However, since then, his salary has gone up and his play has regressed.
The result was that Freeman was benched a week ago and then released earlier today.
While there were certainly other factors that led to the divorce between the two sides, one issue may have been the lack of a long-term extension for the young quarterback who was to become a free agent after the season. The Bucs may have seen the numbers below and realized that Freeman was just no longer living up to the promise he showed earlier in his career and the cost was going to be too much.
Data via Pro-Football-Reference.com