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The Bucs want Jake Plummer, but the feeling isn't mutual. ... As initially reported by NFL Network insider Adam Schefter, Plummer is expected to announce his retirement.
That initial report was subsequently echoed by ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli, who reported that Plummer told friends and business associates Friday afternoon he plans to retire from football, rather than to continue his NFL career in another city.
Earlier today, it had been reported that the Broncos agreed to terms on a trade that would send Plummer to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
According to Schefter, that trade is expected to be nullified due to Plummer's decision to retire.
A source in the Tampa organization told Pasquarelli Friday afternoon the deal to acquire Plummer is "On hold. ... At best." Pasquarelli's source indicated that there were ongoing discussions aimed at convincing Plummer to accept the trade and play in 2007, but that the veteran passer was prepared to walk away from the game.
Under the terms discussed, the Broncos would have received a middle-round draft choice, believed to be a fourth-rounder, in exchange for Plummer. The trade was expected to be announced on Friday, provided all the major details were completed.
But that was before Plummer, scheduled to earn a base salary of $5.3 million for the 2007 season, wavered.
Apparently the lure of playing for Bucs head coach Jon Gruden, who has shown an affinity for veteran quarterbacks during his days in Oakland and Tampa Bay, wasn't sufficient to get Plummer on board.
Gruden helped Oakland's Rich Gannon during a late-career rebirth in which Gannon won an NFL MVP award. Gruden then combined with veteran Brad Johnson to help lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in the 2002 season.
Perhaps the fact Plummer would have had to battle Chris Simms for the starting job in Tampa Bay wasn't appealing.
Tampa Bay re-signed Simms to a two-year contract earlier this offseason. But with Simms coming off a 2006 season in which he underwent an emergency splenectomy, the Bucs have been shopping for a veteran quarterback to bolster the depth chart.
Veteran backup Tim Rattay became an unrestricted free agent on Friday and was not expected to return to Tampa Bay.
Plummer, 32, lost his starting job in Denver to rookie Jay Cutler late last season and the Broncos have been entertaining trade offers in the offseason.
As Yahoo! Sports national correspondent Jason Cole noted this morning, Plummer seemed to lose his confidence as last season progressed.
After losing his starting job, Plummer was upset with how Denver head coach Mike Shanahan dealt with the change. Plummer was particularly angry that he received a phone call from his position coach to inform him of the change rather than hearing directly from Shanahan.
Plummer has played 10 seasons in the NFL. A second-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 1997, he played six seasons in Arizona before signing with Denver in 2003. He led the Broncos to the 2005 AFC Championship Game.
He has started 136 games as a pro and completed 2,484 of 4,350 passes for 29,253 yards, with 161 touchdown passes and 161 interceptions, for a passer rating of 74.6.
According to Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio, there are rumblings in league circles that Plummer is using the threat of retirement as a ploy to get traded to Houston, where he would be reunited with former Broncos offensive coordinator and current Texans head coach Gary Kubiak.
On the other hand, as reported in Sunday's Fantasy Notebook, Cutler suggested last week that he wouldn't be surprised if Plummer called it a career.
If he does retire, Plummer would likely owe Denver the portion of any signing bonus that applies to the three remaining years of his contract.
Whatever the case, you'll want to keep an eye on the News & Views section of the site. We'll post official confirmation on Plummer's status -- whether he makes good on the threat to retire or not -- when it comes down the pike.