Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik confirmed Monday that quarterback Josh Freeman likely will enter the 2013 season without a new contract.
Dominik, in radio interviews Monday, said "no one's in a hurry" to extend Freeman's contract and that the quarterback wants to "maximize his ability" before negotiating a new deal.
Freeman became the franchise's first 4,000-yard passer and also threw for more touchdowns in a season than any player in team history, but his inconsistency contributed to the late slide that knocked the Bucs out of playoff contention. He had back-to-back games where he threw four interceptions in December during the team's five-game losing streak late in the season.
Coach Greg Schiano had earlier said that he hoped to sign another quarterback to push Freeman, saying he believes in creating competition throughout the roster.
"I would say the way coach and I talk about it is that there's no sense of urgency," Dominik said in interviews with Tampa radio stations 98.7-FM and 620-AM. "There's no hurry from Josh Freeman and his representation (either). So there's good communication going on. We do have time on our hands.
"Josh is going to try to play the best he can, and we'll watch the situation unfold and how the offseason goes. But Josh has done a good job."
Freeman threw for 4,065 yards and 27 touchdowns en route to also becoming the team's all-time leader in TD passes with 78.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.