Tampa Bay Bucs Have Four Million Reasons to Let Luke McCown Go

The theory has suddenly grown wings.

We asked the question back on July 9 when former Buc quarterback Jeff Carlson evaluated the four Tampa Bay quarterbacks.

"Will the Bucs keep both Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich?"

At the time, Carlson thought they would.

Now the media world is saying "not so fast," on that one.

Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network threw it out there, so has the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times.

Will the loser of the McCown vs. Leftwich competition hit the waiver wire?

It's the question that makes the Saturday night preseason game at Jacksonville a huge event for Leftwich and McCown.

What no one has thrown out there for us is the financial implication for the Buccaneers.

Suddenly it could be a matter of Luke McCown's pay versus Josh Johnson's pay.

What's the cost to keep one versus the other.

The Bucs signed McCown to a two-year, $7.5 million deal last year. They gave him a $2.5  million signing bonus—nice for Luke.

He's due $2.5 million in base pay for 2009 and again in 2010.  Total $5 million in base pay over two years, simple enough.

Josh Johnson is under a contract that will pay him $426,833 if he makes the final roster this season then $511,833 if he's around in 2010, and $596,853 for 2011.

Sure, if McCown doesn't beat out Leftwich, there's a decision to be made, but it could entail dollars and cents, which is of utmost importance to the Buccaneer ownership.

The team would eat the $2.5 million bonus but would save $2,073,167 this season and another $1,988,167 next season if they keep Johnson over McCown. 

Total savings for 2009 and 2010: $4,061,334.

It all depends if the team is comfortable with the trifecta of Leftwich, rookie Josh Freeman and Johnson.

Freeman's a big ticket item and the future starter.

Leftwich and McCown are short term solutions.

The only remaining question: Is there room for two short-term solutions?

Four million bucks says probably not.