Josh Freeman: The Buccaneers franchise QB that never was
TAMPA, Fla. (BVM) – Josh Freeman became the first quarterback drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round since Trent Dilfer was selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Freeman was a star in high school, a star in college and showed flashes of his potential throughout his time in the NFL. Unfortunately, inaccuracy and trouble with interceptions caught up with Freeman but the quarterback from Grandview, Missouri still did a lot of good.
Josh Freeman’s high school career
Freeman’s dad played football at Pittsburgh State and his son inherited his football talents. Freeman played for Grandview High School in Grandview, Missouri where he was the starting quarterback for three straight years. During that time, he threw for 7,175 yards and 78 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he led the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record and a playoff appearance. Freeman did the same thing as a senior helping Grandview get to a 7-4 record and another playoff run. His junior year with 2,400 passing yards and 23 touchdowns and senior year with 2,622 passing yards and 33 touchdowns earned him back-to-back first-team all-state honors.
Freeman was the No. 4 quarterback in the Class of 2006. A class that also had Matthew Stafford, Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. He was a four-star pro-style quarterback but there were still a lot of colleges who wanted the athletic, 6-foot-6, 250–pound high schooler to play tight end rather than quarterback. Freeman was set to play quarterback and after he was originally committed to Nebraska, he decided to go to Kansas State to play for Rob Prince.
Having a successful high school career and then getting a scholarship to play football for a Division I program was all about a part of “The Plan.” “The Plan” was a set of goals Freeman developed in grade school that would get him to his dream of playing quarterback in the NFL.
Josh Freeman’s college career
At Kansas State, Freeman earned the starting spot early in the season and made eight starts in 2006. The Cougars struggled but Freeman still threw for 1,780 yards and was the first true freshman quarterback to start for KSU since 1976. The next year, the budding star had his best season at Kansas State, setting program records for pass attempts, completions and yards. In all, Freeman threw for 3,353 yards and 18 touchdowns. He did have help that season by having former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson who also had the best season of his Kansas State career. Then as a senior, he went for less yards but still put up 2,945 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, eight interceptions (the lowest of his career), a passer rating of 132.9 and 14 rushing touchdowns.
In his three seasons at Kansas State, he threw for 8,078 passing yards and 44 touchdowns, both were school records. However, Freeman did have issues with interceptions, each year he did improve but it was a problem that would follow him into the NFL. He finished his KSU career as one of the best quarterbacks to play for the Cougars and was drafted with the 17th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the third quarterback taken in the draft behind Georgia’s Matthew Stafford and the USC’s Mark Sanchez.
Josh Freeman’s NFL career
The Kansas State product entered Tampa Bay with the intent to get the starting quarterback job as a rookie after signing his rookie contract with the Buccaneers. After an 0-7 start, Freeman got his chance and started a Week 9 game at home against the Green Bay Packers. Freeman became the first Buccaneers quarterback to throw three touchdowns in their first start and was the youngest quarterback to start and win his first game for Tampa Bay. He went 14-of-31 for 205 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 38-28 win.
Freeman would start the rest of the season for the Bucs, going 3-6 as a starter. He wasn’t able to build off of the hype from his debut too much and threw for 1,855 yards, 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. But his second season showed why Tampa Bay fans were excited following Freeman’s debut game. The second year Buc led Tampa Bay to a 10-6 record but they still missed the playoffs. Freeman racked up 3,451 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The next two seasons Freeman would continue to put up big passing yard numbers, throwing for over 3,000 in each year, but he also threw for 22 touchdowns in 2011 and 17 interceptions in 2012.
Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris was fired in 2011 and Greg Schiano was hired in his place. Then due to questions about Freeman’s accuracy the Bucs drafted Mike Glennon from NC State.
A rumored rift between Schiano and Freeman as well as a poor start to the 2013 season ended up causing Schiano to bench Freeman for Glennon. Tampa Bay was 0-3 at the time and Freeman was only completing 46% of his passes. By October 3, Freeman was released by Tampa Bay after a failed attempt to trade the former first round pick.
Even though his time in Tampa Bay was cut short, Freeman still made an impact on the community. He created “Freeman’s Front Line,” a program that gave Buccaneers tickets to local charities and underprivileged kids. It was also during his time in Tampa that he told school children about “The Plan’ and helped those setup plans of their own.
Following his release from the Bucs, Freeman spent short stints with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and the FXFL’s Brooklyn Bolts. Finally Freeman headed to the CFL but never played a snap for the Montreal Alouettes before retiring in 2018.
He finished his career with 13,873 passing yards, 81 touchdown passes, and 68 interceptions and a 25-36-0 career record.
Josh Freeman after football and net worth
After being drafted by the Buccaneers, Freeman signed a rookie contract worth $36 million over five years, including a $10.245 million in guaranteed money. He then signed a one-year contract with the Vikings, a one-year contract with the Giants and a two-year deal with the Colts. In all, Freeman made $28.3 million during his playing career. According to Celebrity Net Worth Freeman has a net worth of $12 million.
In 2020, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his impressive play at Grandview High School.
Since 2020, Freeman hasn’t been active on social media but has spent some of his time catching up with former KSU teammates.
