Bucs Likely To Cut Gerald McCoy?

We heard last month that the Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wasn’t generating much trade interest, and as Albert Breer of SI.com wrote today, nothing has changed on that front.

The primary barrier to a trade, of course, is McCoy’s contract. McCoy is due $13MM in 2019, and he is under contract through 2021, with cap charges north of $12MM in each of the next two years. And Tampa Bay does not have very much leverage, because other clubs who might be interested in McCoy know that the Bucs — who are right up against the salary cap — can clear all of that money off of their books with no dead money ramifications by cutting McCoy.

Plus, although McCoy is certainly still a good player, his on-field performance no longer justifies his contract. So as Breer notes, it’s much more likely that Tampa Bay releases the 31-year-old, especially since the club still needs to sign its rookie class, which includes the fifth-overall pick.

In 2018, McCoy ranked fourth among defensive tackles with 21 quarterback hits and finished as the NFL’s No. 28 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. However, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2013, and he hasn’t graded as a top-10 interior defender since 2014.

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