"Bucs defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth didn't have what you might consider a stellar season. And if you ask him, he'll admit it.

"This year right here, you've probably seen me at my worst," Haynesworth said. "I mean just as far as my play. I still did some good things, but I just think that next year I'll be a hell of a lot better, back closer to my '08 form."

But will he even play here next year? Given Monday's major news, a conversation I had with Haynesworth on this point was lost in the shuffle.

Anyhow, this is very much an open question for several reasons. As Haynesworth points out, he didn't excel for the Bucs after the Patriots released him and Tampa Bay claimed him off waivers following Gerald McCoy's biceps injury. He was a considerable factor in several games but he had minimal impact in others, a result of knee pain and, arguably, a lack of conditioning."