Mike Glennon: Much More Than A Backup

Nov 24, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re one of those people that are going into this year’s NFL season believing that Mike Glennon is destined for a role on the bench, then you obviously haven’t been listening.

Before the 2014 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers wouldn’t fully commit to Glennon. The team listened to a few trade offers and considered drafting a quarterback, but eventually decided to hold on to the young cannon after tirelessly reviewing the tape.

Not only did Tampa Bay avoid taking a quarterback, but they made a statement that stopped everyone in their tracks: Mike Glennon is the Buccaneers’ quarterback of the future.

The now, as we all know by now, is Josh McCown. The veteran quarterback will likely start the season as the Bucs’ signal-caller, but whether or not he finishes out the year is up to his play, and that of Glennon, who will be gunning for his spot as training camp begins.

Tampa Bay values Mike Glennon, which is why they publicly labeled him the future of the franchise. It was a smart move that put more stock into a player that had a lot less going into the offseason.

Now, teams around the league are beginning to covet Glennon, wondering if he could be the future of their franchise for the right price.

The folks over at The Landry Hat, the Dallas Cowboys’ FanSided affiliate, openly discussed the idea of having Glennon in Dallas to backup, and eventually replace Tony Romo.

Reading that post got me thinking: what would it take for a team to get Mike Glennon?

The answer? Probably more than they would want to give up.

Whether or not the Bucs actually believe that Glennon can lead them in the future is irrelevant. It is all about making other teams think that they believe he can. Once his reputation spreads around the league, offers for the former NC State quarterback will increase.

Right now, with it being so soon after the Bucs named Mike Glennon their future quarterback, I would think that it would at least take a second round pick in 2015 to acquire him. But even with that logic, dealing Glennon seems unlikely for now. The Buccaneers turned down plenty of offers before and during the 2014 NFL Draft, and there is no way they are going to accept one now with training camp just around the corner.

Very soon, we will start to learn just how good Mike Glennon can be. He will ferociously compete with Josh McCown for the team’s starting quarterback job. And even if he doesn’t win it, the team is in a great position, because they have kept his value by acting as if it was never his job in the first place; they named Josh McCown the starter the minute he signed on the dotted line.

Mike Glennon is much more than this team’s backup.

He is the future. He is the trick up Lovie Smith and Jason Licht’s sleeve.

He is valuable, no matter what happens this preseason.