Bears, Jets Reportedly Potential Free-Agent Options for QB Mike Glennon

The Chicago Bears and New York Jets have reportedly emerged as possible landing spots for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon once he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Ian Rapoport‏ of the NFL Network first reported expected interest from those two organizations in the signal-caller Wednesday.

The Bucs selected Glennon in the third round of the 2013 draft. The NC State product ended up making 13 starts during his rookie campaign and posted solid numbers. He completed 59.4 percent of this throws for 2,608 yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

His future with the organization steadily faded from that point forward, however. He split time with Josh McCown during the 2014 season, tossing 10 TDs and six picks across six appearances, and then Tampa Bay selected Jameis Winston with the first overall pick in 2015.

Winston is now entrenched as the Buccaneers' starter, which means Glennon is a virtual lock to head elsewhere in free agency with an eye on getting another chance to lead an offense.

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times passed along comments the 27-year-old quarterback made about his future back in December.

"I've had a great time here in Tampa, and we'll see what happens," Glennon said. "It's exciting. I'm looking forward to an opportunity, but we'll see what happens. It's been great to see the team grow and get better. I've had a great relationship with [head coach] Dirk [Koetter] and Jameis and all the quarterbacks. Dirk's doing a great job here and we have a close relationship. I'm excited for what's to come, but I'll worry about that when the time comes."

The best news for Glennon heading into free agency is the weak quarterback market. Things could still change depending on decisions made about Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and Tyrod Taylor of the Buffalo Bills, but he has an outside chance at being considered the top free-agent QB available.

That would be a coveted spot to find himself in since there are several teams looking to upgrade at the position. Along with the Bears and Jets, the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams could all make changes under center.

The number of available options has dropped in recent days, too. The Washington Redskins announced Kirk Cousins received the exclusive franchise tag Tuesday, and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday the New England Patriots are planning to keep Jimmy Garoppolo.

Add in a lackluster group of quarterbacks in the draft and Glennon, despite his mundane overall numbers across four years in Tampa Bay, could command a lucrative contract.

The Bears ($57 million), who are hunting for a more stable option than Jay Cutler, and the Jets ($28 million), who have been riding the QB carousel for several years, both have the projected cap space to make a splash once free agency opens March 9.

Salary-cap information via Spotrac.