AP

The softening of the free-agent market has resulted in shorter contracts, which means that more and more players are having their contracts expire every year. Which means that more free agents are hitting the market.

In Tampa, the Bucs currently are scheduled to have 20 unrestricted free agents in 2014, according to PewterReport.com.

The biggest names are receiver Mike Williams and quarterback Josh Freeman. As to the former, the team reportedly is working on an extension. As to the latter, it’s a wait-and-see approach.

It’s a risky proposition for the Bucs. If Freeman has a big year, it’ll cost extra to keep him around in 2014. And then the question will become whether his performance in 2013 was a one-year blip or the start of a trend.

If the current coaching staff and administration believed Freeman is the future, they wouldn’t have used a third-round pick on Mike Glennon in April, and they would have signed Freeman by now. With so much money devoted annually to cornerback Darrelle Revis, it appears the plan is to keep the quarterback compensation low during the time Revis is in Tampa.

If Mike Glennon becomes the starter at some point this year or to start 2014, the Bucs will have four years of Glennon at minimum salaries, making it easier to keep Revis around. The moment they choose to give big money to a quarterback, it will become a lot harder to continue with the $16-million-per-year commitment to Revis.