Jeff Garcia and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not made progress
on getting the veteran quarterback a new contract
– he is currently in the final year of a two-year deal that will
pay him $2 million this season – which led to an interview with
Sirius Satellite Radio last week that featured Garcia saying he
felt disrespected and would contemplate retirement following the
upcoming season.
Tampa, Fla.
Jeff Garcia and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not made progress on getting the veteran quarterback a new contract – he is currently in the final year of a two-year deal that will pay him $2 million this season – which led to an interview with Sirius Satellite Radio last week that featured Garcia saying he felt disrespected and would contemplate retirement following the upcoming season.
“I feel like I still can grow so much within this offense and I do believe that if I do step away and allow the contract to be a problem, an issue, a distraction then I’m not going to grow within the system the way that I need to grow and better myself and exceed the expectations that I have put upon myself,” Garcia said in the interview. “And so in that sort of way I just battle through it, you know? And there are days where I’m not as excited to be in there. I have to be honest. And I feel like, in ways, there is a sense of being taken advantage of but I can’t allow that to disrupt my own preparation and my own emphasis and just the excitement that I have for the game.”
Garcia, 38, made his fourth career Pro Bowl appearance last season after leading the Bucs to an NFC South Division title. It was his first season with the team, which went 4-12 a year prior.
The Gilroy native was paid $5,003,360 last season, according to a report on USATODAY.com, but missed out on a hefty incentive bonus that would have paid him roughly $1 million more for taking part in 70 percent or more of the team’s regular-season plays on offense. Garcia was held out of the final six quarters of the regular season as the Bucs rested players before the playoffs.
Garcia was the 15th highest-paid quarterback in total salary last season, according to USATODAY.com
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To hear the full Sirius Satellite Radio interview, go to http://www.sirius.com/nfl and click on the “Jeff Garcia” link under the “HEARD IT ON SIRIUS” section.
