The risks of the Fournette coup

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers land the next transfer coup. Leonard Fournette joins Tom Brady’s new team. A deal not without risks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to go “all-in” in the 2020 season and bring further support to quarterback Tom Brady.

Less than a month after signing six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy, the Bucs reached an agreement with Leonard Fournette, as the running back via Twitter confirmed.

The 25-year-old had been released just a few days ago after three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jaguar coach Doug Marrone explained that despite Fournette’s productivity, it was “the best decision for us as a team.

Fournette had to deal with injuries in Jacksonville in 2018 and was even suspended once. He was fined, criticized and was not in the best of health at the end of the year, having to sit on the bench at crucial moments.

Who has to make room with the Bucs?

In Tampa, Fournette signs a one-year contract that earns him $2.5 million in annual salary – with performance-based bonuses this could rise to 3.5 million.

Fournette strengthens an offensive that already boasts top-class stars such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans. He had his best season in 2019, when he collected 1152 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Fournette averaged 4.4 yards per run.

At the same time, the obligation for the Bucs also means that they will have to make cuts in other areas, but it is unclear who will have to go. Ronald Jones was most recently named a starter. McCoy has performed well over the past week and Dare Ogunbowale was the third-down back and captain of the special teams last season.

And then there are Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais. With both of them slow to get their NFL careers off the ground and on the reserve list due to the lack of an off-season, it’s possible that they may fall victim to Fournette’s commitment.