It seems clear that Gerald McCoy had plenty of suitors in his somewhat brief free agency, but his decision, in some respects, appears to be about gaining a little revenge on his former team.
The defensive tackle was released by the Buccaneers last month, and on Monday he reportedly agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal with Tampa Bay’s division rival, the Carolina Panthers.
Among the reported suitors in addition to the Panthers was the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. And after news broke of McCoy’s agreement with Carolina, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport explained why McCoy chose the Panthers.
Gerald McCoy left Baltimore thinking he very well might sign there. But Carolina wowed him on his visit; Cam Newton helped recruit McCoy big time, per source. To cap it off, McCoy gets to play his former Bucs team that released him and gave his No. 93 to Ndamukong Suh. Personal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 3, 2019
One thing that became clear in this process: Gerald McCoy wanted to stay in the South, where it’s familiar, rather than Baltimore or Cleveland. Loved both teams, wasn’t sure about both cities. That and the chance to play against his former team twice…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 3, 2019
Gerald McCoy ends up taking less (with less guaranteed money) to play with the #Panthers and face his old team. 1-year deal worth roughly $8M with a chance to make $10M or so based on playing time and sack incentives. https://t.co/TbwJlg369A
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 3, 2019
As indicated above, McCoy essentially chose the Panthers for less money in part because of a grudge. Tampa recently signed Ndamukong Suh to fill McCoy’s void, and they it gave him McCoy’s old number to boot, so you can understand why McCoy might have revenge on the mind.
So, it appears Panthers-Bucs games are going to be a must-watch this year.
