The Bucs quickly signed Fournette, and McCoy was relegated to being a depth player. That changed when the Jaguars cut Leonard Fournette before the regular season. When McCoy signed, the plan was for him to share a backfield with third-year running back Ronald Jones II. “I thought that was the best chance to get to the Super Bowl.” “It just made sense,” McCoy said of coming to Tampa Bay. The Eagles never ended up signing a veteran running back. He agreed to a one-year, $1.05 million contract before training camp in July. The Bucs wanted McCoy as a “veteran in the room” who could contribute, and he knew their offer wasn’t going to last long. McCoy had other relationships in the organization. McCoy is friends with Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement to play with Brady. And (the Eagles) were kind of hesitant - not as far as bringing me back, was just the timing - and I was like, ‘Do I go back home, do I wait a little bit … or do I go now with the Bucs?’”Īs the Eagles dragged their feet, McCoy saw an opportunity in Tampa Bay. McCoy said he “had a lot of talks with the Eagles” while the Buccaneers expressed interest. The Eagles, at least during the early summer, were scanning the market for veteran depth in the backfield. He was a free agent after one year in Kansas City with Andy Reid - a season that finished with his first Super Bowl, but also the first time that he was no longer considered the lead running back in his offense. There was a point last offseason when McCoy thought he might return to Philadelphia for the 2020 season. He even wanted a trade back to the Eagles when he played for the Bills and they were rebuilding, but they didn’t move him. (Owner Jeffrey) Lurie, (general manager) Howie (Roseman), all them guys are special to me.” My family, a lot of my friends are still there. “Just like my roots there, it’s kind of like my hometown. “It was always something special to me,” said McCoy, a native of Harrisburg, Pa. There might be a shorter list of players who enjoyed playing for the Eagles as much as McCoy. There’s a short list of Eagles in recent history as accomplished as McCoy. But McCoy’s connection with the franchise is deeper than most players who depart at age 26. He’s now played with other teams as long as he played in Philadelphia. McCoy, 32, has been gone for six seasons since Chip Kelly unceremoniously traded the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher in the prime of his career for linebacker Kiko Alonso in March 2015. And it means more to me - as far as my hometown being an hour away, being drafted, a lot of my friends are still my friends to share that with.” “I do wish that, if I could have had a championship, I wish it would have been when I was an Eagle. Shady echoed this sentiment while mentioning that he had just spoken with Devin White.“It’s different,” McCoy said Tuesday during his Super Bowl news conference. Shady insisted there was little to no belief in Mayfield among the Bucs’ locker room leaders. McCoy noted that Mayfield’s response to the question was “Now what?” The question to the players really intrigued Joe because of what former Bucs running back LeSean “Shady” McCoy said on FS1 in early July. The Mayfield buy-in at One Buc Palace is obvious to Joe and extends from the coaches all the way down to the bottom of the squad. We don’t have to worry about that.’ We will do our part He’ll mind his business.’” “And they believe, ‘Hey, we have a guy we can believe in. “(Mayfields) showed with his conviction that carried through the locker room. McCoy told Eisen that the Bucs needed Mayfield because of his approach to the game He was the guy who answered the question, “Now what?” according to Tom Brady. (He also attended the Bucs’ final home game, where he faced Joe.) Again, remember McCoy’s connections to the club. McCoy is now a personality on the NFL Network and visited The Rich Eisen Show today and talked about Baker Mayfield’s impact on Tampa Bay’s roster. McCoy has close friends in the Tampa Bay locker room and a keen understanding of all things Bucs. It’s best to pay attention when six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, the Bucs’ retired defensive tackle, talks about the Buccaneers.
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