Josh Freeman: Is being released by the Miami Dolphins the end of his career?

By Nick Ziegler | Sep 5, 2015

The end of the road appears to be very close for quarterback Josh Freeman, who was recently released by the Miami Dolphins.

Josh Freeman released by Dolphins. Good dude. Hope he catches on somewhere.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 4, 2015

In the 2009 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Freeman with the 17^th overall pick from Kansas State.

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Freeman would get the first start of his career in Week 8 of the 2009 season against the Green Bay Packers. In his first start, Freeman and the Buccaneers were able to defeat the Packers 38-28, as the rookie quarterback totaled 205 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. It was a quick start for Freeman in the NFL, but the remainder of the 2009 season would be a bit of a struggle.

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In the nine games that Freeman started in 2009, the Buccaneers lost six of them, as the rookie quarterback totaled 1,839 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. Most quarterbacks aren’t superstars from day one in the NFL, and Freeman was no exception.

After gaining experience in his rookie season, Freeman excelled in 2010. On the way to a 10-6 season, Freeman played fantastic for the Buccaneers, as he totaled 3,451 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, and just six interceptions. After the success that Freeman and the team had in 2010, things were looking very bright in Tampa Bay to go along with Freeman looking like one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.

With some expectations heading into the 2011 season, the Buccaneers and Freeman totally disappointed. In 2011, Freeman totaled a 4-11 record as the starting quarterback, as he made a lot of mistakes totaling 22 interceptions and just 16 passing touchdowns.

After the down season, the Buccaneers hired Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, and the relationship between him and Freeman ended up to be an awful one. In 2012, Freeman bounced back from the poor 2011 season, as he totaled 4,065 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.

The Buccaneers were once again looking to turn it around after a decent season in 2012, but 2013 would turn into a disaster for Freeman and the Buccaneers. After a 0-3 start and three terrible games with a less than 50% completion percentage, the Buccaneers released Freeman.

After being released by the Buccaneers, Freeman would sign with the Minnesota Vikings, but he only played in one game and once again did not play well, as he totaled just 190 passing yards on 53 attempts in a loss to the New York Giants.

In 2014, Freeman didn’t play on a team after a quick stint in the summer with the New York Giants.

Freeman was given a chance this summer by the Miami Dolphins, but in the preseason he completed just 23 of 48 passes and was released.

This could be the end of the road for Freeman, who might not be taking a snap in the NFL in the 2015 season for the second consecutive season. If it is the end of the line for Freeman, he will go down as a “bust” in the history of the NFL after showing some great potential especially in the 2010 season.

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