Gerald McCoy Voices Displeasure With Buccaneers
Shortly after former Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy agreed to a deal with the Panthers, we heard that his decision to stay in the NFC South rather than sign with the Browns or Ravens — the two other teams that were heavily pursuing him — was based primarily upon the camaraderie he saw during his visit to Carolina, along with his reservations about the cities of Cleveland and Baltimore. Although there was speculation that the chance to exact revenge on his old team two times a season may have had some impact on his choice, it seems that opportunity was more important to McCoy than was previously believed.
Appearing on FS1’s “The Undisputed” (h/t ESPN.com), McCoy unequivocally voiced his displeasure with the Tampa Bay organization. First, McCoy said that the club’s decision to give new signee (and McCoy replacement) Ndamukong Suh No. 93, McCoy’s old number, did not sit well with him. McCoy said, “It may seem like it’s just a number, but it’s bigger than that. It’s respect. That was a big part of the separation between me and Tampa, period, was the respect they showed to me all offseason. It just wasn’t there.”
As McCoy makes clear, the jersey number situation was emblematic of what he perceived to be a general lack of appreciation for his work for, and dedication to, a generally mediocre outfit. He added, “I’m one of the best players to ever play in the organization. I’m going to say it — usually I wouldn’t, but I’m going to say it. It kind of shows the respect and how they feel about me.”
The Bucs knew for some time that they were going to part ways with McCoy, and after they were unable to find a willing trade partner, they ultimately made the decision to release him. Even so, the fact that he did not receive any communication from the team’s coaching staff — including new HC Bruce Arians — while he was still under contract was quite frustrating to McCoy. He said, “I spoke to more people in Baltimore’s, Cleveland’s and Carolina’s staff than I spoke to the Bucs all offseason, and that’s a fact.”
Although the Panthers and Bucs both seem content with the former First Team All-Pros they have added to their defensive lines this offseason, McCoy’s candid remarks will add a layer of interest to this year’s divisional bouts between the two clubs.
Buccaneers, Mike Evans Rework Contract
The Buccaneers have done a simple restructure on wide receiver Mike Evans’ contract, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The adjustment will create an additional $3.2MM in cap space, though Evans will still earn $20MM in cash this year. 
[RELATED: Former Bucs QB Josh McCown Retires From NFL]
Heading into Tuesday, the Bucs had roughly $4.7MM in cap room. By adjusting Evans’ deal, the Bucs will have about $8MM to use on late-stage free agents and address some of their own players.
Evans, 26 in August, inked a five-year, $82.5MM extension with the Bucs last offseason. With incentives, Evans has the ability to earn nearly $96MM over the course of the pact. This marks the second time that Evans has adjusted his contract this offseason, though the previous revision did not address the Bucs’ cap situation.
Even with a fat new contract in hand, Evans did not rest on his laurels in 2018. The wide receiver earned his second career Pro Bowl nod as he hauled in 86 catches with a career-high 1,524 yards. He also set a new career best in yards-per-catch with 17.7 per reception and scored eight touchdowns.
Josh McCown Retires From NFL
After 17 years in the NFL, Josh McCown is calling it a career. On Monday, the longtime QB bid farewell to the game in a post on The Player’s Tribune. 
“At the end of the day, no matter what team I was on, I tried to serve it to the best of my ability, and I tried to influence my team in a positive manner. I hope I did that,” McCown wrote. “And I made sure that when my number was called, I was prepared, and I gave it everything I had, every time. I may not have turned out to be the franchise quarterback I set out to be back at Cardinals rookie camp, but I’m extremely proud of the career I had.”
McCown didn’t become the face of the Cardinals as he had hoped, but he did enjoy nearly two decades in the NFL while spending time with ten different teams. His journey also included a pit stop in the UFL in 2010, a deal that almost didn’t come to pass when the Bears offered him a contract. Remarkably, McCown declined the opportunity in Chicago and stuck it out with the Hartford Colonials. He later said that the notion of bailing on the commitment “didn’t sit well” with him and he didn’t want to set a bad example for his children in which he would give his “word to somebody until something better comes along and then break that.”
McCown had some memorable moments on the field throughout his career, but he will largely be remembered for his high-character, intense work ethic, and willingness to help groom younger quarterbacks. After starting 13 games for the Jets in 2017, McCown put his ego aside and agreed to return to New York as a mentor for rookie Sam Darnold. Now, McCown will continue to put his football wisdom and knowledge to good use, either as a broadcaster or coach.
Buccaneers Sign Rookie Mike Edwards
The Buccaneers have signed third-round safety Mike Edwards to his rookie deal, according to a team announcement. Per the terms of his slot, the four-year pact should be worth $3.34MM with an $822K signing bonus. 
Taken with the No. 99 overall pick, Edwards could be in line for a starting role at safety this year. Even if he doesn’t make the first-string squad, he figures to see a decent amount of playing time in the secondary.
At Kentucky, Edwards proved his effectiveness at multiple positions. In total, he racked up 318 tackles, the second-highest total in school history among defensive backs. He also had a nose for the football with the Wildcats, notching ten career interceptions, including two pick-sixes.
With Edwards signed, the Bucs have just two unsigned picks left in first-round linebacker Devin White and third-round cornerback Jamel Dean.
Bruce Arians Addresses Several Bucs Issues
Coming out of retirement after one year off, Bruce Arians took on an interesting challenge in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers own the NFC’s longest playoff drought at 11 seasons and have a quarterback in Jameis Winston who has not lived up to expectations.
The 66-year-old coach, the oldest to ever be hired, expressed optimism on several fronts recently. He broke down several aspects of the team, including Winston, in an expansive interview with the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud.
The team did not draft an offensive lineman this offseason and signed only likely backup Earl Watford, but the team did reach an extension with left tackle Donovan Smith and pick up right tackle Demar Dotson‘s 2019 option. Dotson is the longest-tenured Buccaneer at 10 seasons. Dotson is in the final year of his contract — one that pays the 33-year-old right tackle just $3.975MM in base salary this season.
“I’m comfortable. I think when we get those guys healthy, when those five guys are out there or four of the five, we’ve been pretty good,” Arians said, via Stroud, of the Bucs’ offensive front. “… “I’ll tell you the guy that probably did better than anybody is Demar Dotson. I mean, he’s competed harder. He’s a pleasant, pleasant surprise.”
As for what the Bucs still need, Arians said edge rusher and offensive line swing men remain possibilities for outside pickups. Tampa Bay added Shaquil Barrett earlier this offseason but have Jason Pierre-Paul set to miss at least the first month of the season (and probably more time). The Bucs ranked 32nd in defensive DVOA last season.
“There might be a free agent out there. Right now, I don’t know,” Arians said. “We’re always looking on the edge. I mean, defensively, we’re fine. … Offensively, we could use help in the offensive line for depth. You cannot have enough. So we’ll be looking probably around preseason (Game) 3 to see what is available, if we feel that need is still there.”
Pierre-Paul will not undergo surgery for the neck injury he sustained in a May car accident. Considering he registered 12.5 sacks in his first year as a Buccaneer, this obviously leaves a gaping hole on the team’s defense. Arians said recently a five- to six-month recovery may be in the cards for the 30-year-old edge player, which puts his 2019 season in question. In this latest round of comments, however, Arians said that while September is out of the question, he did not want to firmly indicate October would be as well.
“I would think so,” Arians told Stroud when asked about if October will be the earliest the edge defender could return. “Just to be safe and not rush it. And knowing him, he’s one of those fast healers. So I hate to put a time limit on him but the earlier the better. As long as he’s healthy.”
Buccaneers Audition Five Players
The Buccaneers are hosting a group of free agents at their minicamp this week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Tampa Bay is working out offensive linemen Cyrus Kouandjio and Josh LeRibeus and wide receivers Malachi Dupre, Nehari Crawford, and Jamarius Way.
Of the group, LeRibeus has played in the most total NFL games (50). An 11-game starter at center for the 2015 Redskins, LeRibeus appeared in 19 games (three starts) for the Saints over the past two seasons. LeRibeus, 29, earned positive grades from Pro Football Focus earlier in his career, but that wasn’t the case in 2018. Among the 153 interior linemen who played at least 100 offensive snaps a season ago, LeRibeus ranked dead last in PFF grade.
Kouandjio, 25, has the highest draft pedigree of any player working out for the Bucs, as he was chosen in the second round (44th overall) of the 2014 draft. The Alabama product has had trouble staying healthy throughout his NFL career, and thus has only appeared in 30 games over five years. Kouandjio has spent the past two years bouncing on-and-off the Broncos’ roster, playing only 80 offensive snaps during that time.
Dupre was once considered the best high school wide receiver recruit in the country, and was — at one point — viewed as a potential first-round pick. Heading into the 2017 draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed Dupre as a third- or fourth-round selection, but the LSU alum ultimately fell to the Packers in the seventh round. He’s already spent time with five teams in his brief NFL career.
Latest On Jason Pierre-Paul
The prospect of Jason Pierre-Paul missing a sizable chunk of the 2019 season has been mentioned. Bruce Arians recently added fuel to it. Arians said JPP will need at least five, “maybe six” months to recover from the neck injury he suffered in a car accident a few weeks back.
“He’s doing good; his spirits are good,” Arians said during an ESPN interview (via JoeBucsFan.com). “You know, it’s just one of those things, you just wait and wait and wait, and make sure the thing doesn’t displace and not have to have an operation. We got our fingers crossed and are praying for him all the time.”
Pierre-Paul will not undergo surgery, which would have ended his second Bucs season before it started, but Arians’ timetable will shelve the Pro Bowler until at least November and possibly into December. Depending on how Arians’ debut Tampa Bay season unfolds, it is certainly possible JPP does not play in 2019. JPP will turn 31 on New Year’s Day. He is due a non-guaranteed $12.5MM in 2020.
The Bucs replaced Gerald McCoy with Ndamukong Suh up front, but on the edge, they are considerably weakened without Pierre-Paul. Carl Nassib (career-high 6.5 sacks last season) returns and will play outside linebacker in base sets. So will offseason addition Shaquil Barrett. The Bucs used a fourth-round pick to select Iowa’s Anthony Nelson, who registered 23 sacks from 2016-18.
Edge rushers still available: Nick Perry, Derrick Morgan, Matt Longacre, Connor Barwin, Michael Johnson and 2018 Dolphin cogs William Hayes and Andre Branch. After the Suh deal, the Bucs do not have much in the way of cap space. And they have three draft picks still to sign.
Bruce Arians On Gerald McCoy-For-Ndamukong Suh Switch
Acting swiftly after their long-rumored Gerald McCoy separation, the Buccaneers now have Ndamukong Suh set to anchor their line. Suh and McCoy’s careers have been linked together since the former was the 2010 No. 2 overall pick and the latter going one spot later.
The Bucs managed to bring in Suh for $9.25MM. McCoy was set to earn $13MM this season on his seven-year Bucs contract. Bruce Arians described both McCoy’s financial situation and his place in Todd Bowles‘ new 3-4 defense as not being an optimal fit.
“It just wasn’t a fit,” Arians said during an ESPN interview (via JoeBucsFan.com). “Whether it was financial, whatever, on the field, you know, it just didn’t fit. I’ve been through this a number of times with guys and great players and it just comes a time when they have to separate the organization. You go back to Franco Harris not being a Steeler; this has happened for a long, long time.”
McCoy’s 123 career Bucs games only sit 13th in franchise history, with multiple Super Bowl XXXVII icons spending much more time with the franchise. But he entered this offseason as Tampa Bay’s longest-tenured active defender. Despite McCoy and Suh entering the league together, Suh is more than a year older. He is going into his age-32 season, while McCoy will be 31 throughout the 2019 campaign.
Placing a great deal of emphasis on Suh’s attendance track record (two missed games in nine seasons, and those were due to a 2011 suspension), Arians identified the former Lions, Dolphins and Rams defensive tackle as being a superior fit for the team’s new defense.
“Consistency. He never misses a game, very seldom ever misses a practice,” Arians said of Suh. “Plays extremely hard the way I like to play. He fits our three-man scheme a lot better in terms of his versatility up and down the front.”
Suh played 1,058 snaps last season, while McCoy was on the field for 731. However, McCoy (54.5 career sacks) played in 15 games from 2015-17 and has not missed more than three in a season since 2011. Suh (56 career sacks) played 329 snaps in a nose tackle role in the Rams’ 3-4 defense last season, though. The Bucs had deployed a 4-3 scheme throughout McCoy’s tenure. McCoy has visited the Browns, Ravens and Panthers and is believed to be on the verge of choosing his next team.
Bucs To Add Sports Science Department
- New director of athlete performance Greg Skaggs will head a sports science department on the Buccaneers‘ staff, tweets Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Skaggs and his crew will work on training and conditioning techniques in an effort to “optimize player health and production.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/30/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB James Folston Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T Dieugot Joseph, DE Austin Larkin
- Waived: T Devon Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: RB A.J. Ouellette, DB Jordan Wyatt
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB D.J. Killings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Xavier Ubosi
Washington Redskins
- Waived: T Jylan Ware