After nine successful years filled with six Pro Bowls and one All-Pro seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gerald McCoy continues his tour.
The former longtime defensive tackle of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gerald McCoy, finished up a visit with the Carolina Panthers yesterday. That now makes all three NFC South division rivals to have interest in McCoy after he was released by the Buccaneers last week.
The Buccaneers have since moved on to fellow 2009 top-five pick Ndamukong Suh to replace McCoy, but the teams vying for McCoy’s services are not slim. In addition to the Panthers, McCoy has also visited with the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.
He has made his intentions known that he would like to play for a winner, but he will still demand upwards of $10 million in 2019 after Suh helped to reset the market for him. McCoy is expected to take the weekend to decide on where he will play football next.
The Panthers will receive $7 million in cap space tomorrow after the pre-June 1 release of Matt Kalil. They also restructured veteran wide receiver Torrey Smith’s contract to clear an extra $2 million in cap space, giving them more than enough money to sign McCoy if they wish.
While he has moved on from Tampa Bay, McCoy has left a stamp on the Buccaneers organization and where the future Ring of Honor inductee ends up is newsworthy this offseason, especially if he lands in the division. While it was a necessary move by the Buccaneers, who were virtually strapped for cash, he will still be looking at a healthy payday in the coming weeks.