The somewhat surprising decision by the Buccaneers to release quarterback Josh McCown means that he’ll exit Tampa with $4.75 million for one year of service. It also means that the Bucs will keep the remaining $5.25 million of his two-year, $10 million deal.
Because the team typically doesn’t pay out signing bonuses, there’s no cap acceleration associated with the move. Instead, they’ll avoid his $5.25 million salary for next season, clearing the same amount of salary-cap space.
The move leaves Mike Glennon the starter, at a slotted base salary of $687,188 for 2015. The only other quarterback under contract is Seth Lobato.
Making the change now does McCown a favor, since it gives him a head start on finding a new job, before other free-agent quarterbacks hit the market. But the Bucs possibly weren’t thinking only about helping McCown. Clearing $5.25 million in cap space will allow the Bucs sign new players in free agency; it could be a signal that the franchise plans to spend significant dollars.
Also, if the Bucs don’t sign another quarterback in free agency, it’ll become more and more apparent that they intend to take a quarterback with the first overall pick in the draft.
