Josh Freeman is in the final season of his rookie deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his future with the team will be determined by how he performs in 2013.

Freeman is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March, though they could reach use their franchise tag on him.

"I'm excited about getting this year going," said Freeman. "It has nothing to do with...a contract year, finding out, oh, is he signed for this? What happened? I know God has got a plan for me, it's all going to work out in the end. If I just give it the best I've got regardless...if I give it the best I've got and the Buccaneers say, "Ah, we don't think he can play for us,' at the end of the year and every other team in the NFL does and I end up wherever I end up doing whatever, I'll be content because I'll know I gave it the best I had.''

Freeman isn't allowing the contract year to become a distraction.

"I get this question a lot and, yeah, I've got stuff weighing on my mind, but very little has to do with the contract year,'' Freeman said. "Yeah, it's a big year and professionally it's the biggest year I've had from that standpoint. But I'm telling you, when I play the best football, it's when I'm just relaxed and I'm being myself.

The Chicago Bears have traded Gabe Carimi to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth round pick in 2014.

Carimi was a first round pick by the Bears in 2011.

Carimi had not participated in the Bears' offseason program since the conclusion of the club's voluntary minicamp in April, but did plan to attend next week's mandatory minicamp and avoid a potential $66,150 fine if he skipped all three days.

Carimi started the first 10 games of 2012 at right guard before losing his job to Jonathan Scott.