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Report: Buccaneers bench Josh Freeman for rookie Mike Glennon

Rookie Mike Glennon will now be Tampa Bay's starting quarterback, replacing Josh Freeman. (Getty Images)

Mike Glennon will now be Tampa Bay's starting quarterback. (Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have benched starting quarterback Josh Freeman for rookie third-round pick Mike Glennon, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Twitter.

Freeman, the team's top pick in 2009, at one time looked as though he could be the franchise's long-term solution at quarterback. But after a strong second season in NFL, he regressed in last two years when he tossed 39 interceptions.

This season, Freeman has been even worse. He completed only 45 percent of his throws in the first three games of the year and threw more interceptions than touchdowns.

The former Kansas State Wildcat is in the final year of his rookie contract. With reports of a rift between the quarterback and coach Greg Schiano, speculation arose that this would be Freeman's last season in Tampa Bay. The team is open to trading him now, NFL.com's Albert Breer reported on Twitter.

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Glennon, a 6-foot-7 rookie from N.C. State, has yet to throw a regular season pass. He has a strong arm and could make use of deep threat Vincent Jackson. When Schiano was the coach at Rutgers, he recruited Glennon out of high school, reported CBSSports.com's Will Brinson. The Buccaneers now hope he can be the answer at quarterback.