Tampa Bay Buccaneers tell Jeff Garcia to move on
February 17
St. Petersburg Times
"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have told well-traveled quarterback Jeff Garcia to move on.
Garcia, who turns 39 before the start of free agency Feb. 27, said Sunday night Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik has informed his agent, Steve Baker, that the team did not want him to return for a third season.
"My time in Tampa has come to an end,'' Garcia said.
The Bucs signed quarterback Luke McCown to a two-year, $7.5-million contract last week, preventing him from becoming a free agent.
"I'm not under contract and I'm about to hit free agency and that means it's time again for me to just move on,'' Garcia said. "It is disappointing because I enjoyed the atmosphere and the team environment in that locker room...Change is needed at times. Sometimes it's how you tweak it, not change it. With a new head coach, they want somebody pulling the trigger that they can mold. Beyond that, I don't know why they're making the move.''
Garcia went 14-10 in 24 starts during the regular season with the Bucs the past two seasons, leading Tampa Bay to a playoff appearance in 2007 and earning a trip to the Pro Bowl while throwing 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
But last season, a calf injury he sustained in training camp led to his benching after a season-opening loss at New Orleans. Garcia regained the job the second quarter of the season and finished with an 8-5 record.
But after a 9-3 start, Tampa Bay lost its final four games in December -- including one that Garcia was forced to miss at Atlanta because of a leg injury. Coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired Jan. 17 after failing to reach the playoffs.
At the time of Gruden's firing, Garcia said he believed a change was needed. But he says Gruden pushed him to become a better quarterback in two seasons with the Bucs.
"I think in many ways, Jon has received somewhat of a bad rap after all that's been said and done after his firing,'' Garcia said. "To the quarterback room, he brought a lot of knowledge and definitely brought enthusiasm every single day. He challenged me as a player to find ways to better myself as a player. That was on a daily basis. There wasn't a day that went by when you felt you could relax and rest upon what you knew as a quarterback."
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