Buccaneers have discussed paying Mike Glennon $6 million per year

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are talking shop with other teams about trading Mike Glennon. But the Bucs don't want to part ways with their backup quarterback. In fact, according to Rick Stroud at the Tampa Bay Times, they're prepared to offer him a two-year extension worth over $6 million per year. If they don't trade him and don't extend him, he'll walk away in free agency next year.

In fact, the Bucs also have discussed the possibility of attempting to sign Glennon to a two-year extension that would likely average at least $6 million per year. But with Winston entrenched as the franchise quarterback, it's unlikely Glennon would tether himself to the Bucs in a league desperate for signal callers.

There's only one NFL quarterback who was signed to be a backup who makes more than that, and that's Chase Daniel with the Philadelphia Eagles. And he has a clear shot at a starting job. Glennon would earn more than nearly every other backup quarterback, and even more than a number of actual starters, despite being behind one of the most secure quarterbacks in the NFL.

NFL teams do not pay backup quarterbacks that kind of money, unless they anticipate there's a good chance said backup ends up starting for reasons other than injury. And there's no reason to believe the Bucs are in a situation like that. Mike Glennon didn't play a single snap last year, and the team obviously believes in Jameis Winston as their franchise quarterback.

What's more, there's no reason for Glennon to accept that money. He can go to a team to compete for a starting job next year. On the open market. There will be a team that will pay him significantly more than that $6 million per year to do so. After all, Brock Osweiler, Sam Bradford and Alex Smith are getting over $17 million per year. Nick Foles is signed to a $12.25 million per year contract. and Chase Daniel of all people is getting $7 million per year.

Like everything this team has done with Mike Glennon since drafting him, I just don't get it. First they started him three games into his career to last an entire season. He did okay in that role, but the team brought in Josh McCown. When McCown got injured and Glennon played okay, they still went back to McCown. And when the team then drafted Jameis Winston, they could have traded Glennon for some good draft capital -- instead, they hung on to him. And even now there's rumblings that they'll just let him leave in free agency next year.

For a quarterback whose career numbers are fairly pedestrian, Glennon sure has some weird pull on folks' brains.