Leonard Fournette to Buccaneers in Bleacher Report trade idea

Leonard Fournette takes a short trip to Tampa Bay in this potential trade. Should the Buccaneers target the former first-round pick?

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report posed five realistic trade scenarios that could happen this offseason. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a part of one of them.

Knox came up with the idea that the Jacksonville Jaguars would send running back Leonard Fournette to the Bucs for a third-round pick.

There’s little doubt that the Jaguars will try to ship Fournette out of town at some point this offseason. Executive Vice President Tom Coughlin ripped Fournette and teammate T.J. Yeldon for their lack of enthusiasm during Jacksonville’s Week 17 game against the Houston Texans. Then, the Jaguars voided all of the guarantees in his rookie contract.

With additional reports about Fournette’s immaturity, it may be time for the Jags to cut ties with the former top-five pick.

Here is just some of Knox’s logic behind this move.

"A high third-round pick might be enough to take a potential headache of Jacksonville’s hands. Adding him to the group of Jones and Peyton Barber would at least give the Buccaneers a functional rushing attack. If Fournette reaches his full potential in Tampa, that would be a bonus."

Here is a look at the potential trade:

Now, with Fournette’s value plummetting due to his attitude and lack of production on the field, a franchise might get away with offering a much later pick for Fournette.

Fournette has far too many question marks surrounding him to garner a Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) pick. He averaged just 3.3 YPC last season, missed multiple games in his first two seasons and the Jags suspended him more than once.

If Jacksonville is willing to take a Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) pick for him, it would be a low-risk, high-reward move for Tampa Bay.

Fournette certainly has his issues, but so does the Buccaneers rushing attack. They averaged just 95.2 yards per game, Ronald Jones already has bust potential and Peyton Barber won’t excite anybody.

Adding a rare talent like Fournette could work wonders for Tampa Bay in the long run. Plus, he has two years left on his rookie deal without any guarantees, so cutting bait if the experiment wouldn’t be too painful.

Tampa is an obvious match for any available running backs. On Wednesday, MMQB’s Albert Breer predicted that Le’Veon Bell would go to the Bucs in free agency. Hopefully, Tampa can make a splash and add a quality back into the mix.