As rumors heated up that Johnny Manziel was going to land with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 7 in recent weeks, so did trade talks surrounding last year’s third-round pick Mike Glennon.
But those rumors can all now be put to rest.
Manziel is now a member of the Cleveland Browns, and despite reported offers from the Arizona Cardinals and speculation that the New England Patriots have interest, Glennon’s future appears to be in Tampa.
After nabbing former Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans seventh overall, Bucs coach Lovie Smith called Glennon his “quarterback of the future,” adding that Josh McCown, 34, remains the team’s starter.
Lovie: “You know how much I like Josh McCown as our starter. But I love Mike Glennon. Mike Glennon is our quarterback of the future here.”
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 9, 2014
“There are a lot of good players, but it’s what’s best for us. Just talking about our quarterback position: our quarterback position is as strong as, to me, any quarterback position I’ve had when I’ve been a head coach,” Smith said. “You know how much I like Josh McCown as our starter here, but I love Mike Glennon. Mike Glennon is our quarterback of the future here. Why would we want to add a third quarterback to the mix? We needed other positions and forget just a quarterback position – yeah, we like it, but we thought this was the best available player for us. It was an easy decision for us.”
It seems as if Glennon’s place in Tampa is secure, but the Bucs did spend time with Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo during the pre-draft process.
Glennon impressed as a rookie last season, throwing for more than 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions in 13 games played.
McCown turns 35 in July and signed a two-year deal at the start of free agency. It looks like Smith will turn back to Glennon once McCown’s time in Tampa comes to an end.
