Buccaneers, Cardinals talked about Mike Glennon trade

Pre-draft reports and analysis suggested that Mike Glennon was on the trade block, with one report suggesting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would trade him if they could get a second-round pick for the quarterback. In the end that didn't happen, and the Bucs have been busy anointing the second-year passer as the clear future in Tampa. But talk of pre-draft trades continues to surface, with the latest connection being Arizona.

Jason Licht talked to Fox Sports 910 in Arizona about his experiences so far (h/t Pro Football Talk). The Bucs general manager mentioned that they had had some "casual conversations" about trading Mike Glennon to the Arizona Cardinals, where Jason Licht worked last year under general manager Steve Keim.

"We had several teams that were investigating what our thoughts were and what are plan was for Mike [Glennon], and our plan was that we were going to keep Mike," Licht said. "I talk with Steve [Keim] quite often, being a very good friend of mine, one of my closest friends and mentors and working with him last year. We talked about Mike, but I wasn't going to let him bully me into taking the quarterback."

"No, I'm kidding. Just casual conversations. I know Steve has always had a lot of admiration and respect for Mike, but we do as well and he's not getting him."

Mike Glennon completed 24 of 43 passes for 193 yards, one touchdowns, two interceptions and two sacks against the Cardinals last year. He certainly would have fit Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, who tends to like big, strong-armed pocket passers. Instead of giving up a high pick for Glennon, the Cardinals drafted Logan Thomas in the fourth round as a developmental pick.

Meanwhile, Mike Glennon is the backup in Tampa, who will have a chance to unseat Josh McCown in training camp -- although that's unlikely to actually happen. The Bucs have consistently called him the "quarterback of the future" since making their first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

It's not entirely clear how serious they are about that commitment to Glennon, given that he's not the starter, but they certainly have stayed on message. Lovie Smith has noted that he "loves" the second-year quarterback, while the Bucs haven't brought in anyone to compete with him for the backup position. And of course, they never pulled the trigger on a trade, despite at least some interest from around the league.