NFL 2013 Free Agency: Buccaneers release Quincy Black

LInebacker Quincy Black was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today, with the designation of "failed physical". This release was inevitable, as Black's $5.5 million cap hit was simply too big for a two-down linebacker who had struggled the past years.

Sadly for Black, he suffered a nerve injury during the week 9 game against the San Diego Chargers and as of yet has not recovered from that injury. It is so bad that Black may never play football again. That's a sad result for what was once a promising linebacker.

Black was a third-round draft for the Bucs in 2007 and spent two years as a stand-out special teams player before becoming a starter during the 2009 season. He was rewarded with a five-year, $29 million contract in 2011, and was widely seen as overpaid at the time. Black was re-signed because he carried the promise of becoming a quality three-down linebacker, but sadly that never came to fruition and even his play against the run suffered due to injuries. He'll go down as one of the Bucs' mistakes in free agency.

Black's release will give the Bucs $5.5 million in cap space initially, although Black may be able to claim over $1 million of that money because of his injury. That would give the Bucs around $24 million in cap space right now, more than enough to sign a few players in free agency.