The Bucs just re-signed former Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette to a one-year, $4 million deal, according to a recent tweet by Adam Schefter. And unlike deals with Lavonte David, Gronk and Tom Brady, Fournette's contract doesn't utilize voidable years.
The deal marks another re-signing from last year’s Super Bowl team, and allows for the Bucs to focus on the next target, Antonio Brown.
Fournette is coming off a relatively disappointing regular season, only rushing for 367 yards with six touchdowns. But, he submitted a playoff performance that will go down in Bucs history, earning the nickname Playoff Lenny, running for three TDs in four games, with a clutch Super Bowl performance where he gained 135 yards from scrimmage.
The signing solidifies the Bucs roster even more, with the aforementioned Brown being the only important piece left on the board. Even without Brown, the Bucs have still had an incredibly productive offseason. And with the emergence of Scotty Miller last year, re-signing Brown might not be as high of a priority as you’d think.
The Bucs’ next big task is the NFL Draft. Tampa Bay has very few holes on its roster, but expect the Bucs to try to build some depth on a very talented yet aging defense.
Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamokung Suh are unlikely to stick around after next year, and both play incredibly important roles in Todd Bowles’ elite defense. The Bucs need to find the eventual replacement for both of those stars, but Tampa Bay might even be open to trading back to get some more draft capital to help build some depth through the draft due to their salary cap restrictions in the coming years.
We’ll see what happens.
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This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2021.