Oct 5, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) throws against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Glennon was offered a contract by the Buccaneers that would make him the highest paid back-up in the league – and turned it down.

The free agent madness is already in full swing and we aren’t even in the legal tampering period. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered back-up quarterback Mike Glennon a deal rumored to be worth $8-million dollars a year, making him the highest paid number two quarterback in the league. The initial offer was originally reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, while the dollar amount was dropped on twitter by Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole;

A little more detail to earlier story: #Buccaneers offered QB Mike Glennon $8M per yr to stay as backup. Would have been top paid backup — Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) March 2, 2017

Glennon said no.

Glennon – like any other back-up across the NFL – wants the chance to start. In Tampa, he has no such chance. Jason Licht and Dirk Koetter highly value Glennon in that back-up role as the insurance policy should Jameis Winston go down. Glennon on the other hand sees the opportunities across the league and is betting on himself to not only get a bigger deal, but to finally get a legitimate chance to be “the guy”.

It’s hard to argue with Glennon’s stance. If he feels he can start in this league and a team is willing to give him that opportunity – and the money that comes with it – then best of luck to him. The early rumors are that the Chicago Bears and New York Jets are interested in Glennon’s services and both have a need for a starting quarterback. Yes, Jay Cutler is still in Chicago for now, but they are openly trying to trade him per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bucs may have been trying to lure quarterback-needy teams in with Glennon’s “low” salary at $8-million in order to trade him during the draft. A team could potentially be willing to part with a higher pick in exchange for a starter making less than market value.

Or maybe the Buccaneers truly do value Glennon enough to make him the highest paid back-up in the NFL and have confidence that should Winston miss one or two games, Glennon could step in and keep them afloat in a playoff race.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Glennon as free agency kicks off on March 9.