Jeff Garcia Frustrated with Contract, Mentions Retirement

Considering Jon Gruden's penchant for quarterbacks, a long-term stay as starting quarterback is unlikely in Tampa Bay. The future of Jeff Garcia, the Buccaneers' current starter, may also be in question.

Garcia, during a Wednesday interview on Sirius Satellite Radio, reveled that he is frustrated with the treatment he has received from the Buccaneers. Retirement is a possibility if he does not receive a new contract.

Coming off of a Pro-Bowl season, Garcia feels “taken advantage of” in terms of his contract. Prior to last season, he signed a two-year contract with the Buccaneers after a successful run with the Eagles in place of injured quarterback Donovan McNabb. Now in the last year of his contract, Garcia is set to make $2 million, an amount far below his Pro-Bowl counterparts.

“That’s a frustration,” Garcia said. “If it doesn’t work itself out, if a contract is not presented as far as a renewal to finish my career, then I will seriously think about what my alternate options may be. And it may come to not playing football anymore. I feel like when you mistreat people there comes a time when it doesn’t matter how much you are paid, it’s going to lead to some drastic decisions.

“I do believe that if I step away and let a contract to be a problem, an issue, a distraction, then I’m not going to grow within the system the way I need to grow,” Garcia said. “So I just battle through it. There are days I’m not as excited to be there, I’ll be honest.”

Does Garcia deserve a raise? He played at a very high level last season. Quarterbacking under Gruden isn't the easiest of things. All things considered, he probably does. We will see if anything gets done before the season starts.