The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been linked to a star running back
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among several teams rumored to be interested in Leonard Fournette following the report that the Jacksonville Jaguars were electing to waive the talented running back.
Fournette, a former first round pick, has shown solid production in the NFL, but has had his fair share of off-the-field issues that make him a bit of a risk for a franchise to invest in long-term.
Fournette was set to make $4.2 million in guaranteed cash this year before becoming a free agent.
Of course, any time a star running back has come available since the Buccaneers signed Tom Brady, there has been an aura of speculation that Tampa Bay would pull the trigger to bring in another big name to pair with Brady.
To this point, it simply hasn’t happened yet, and it’s not likely to happen this time either.
The Buccaneers need to stay far away from Leonard Fournette
It’s always tempting from a fan perspective to think about another big name joining your franchise- especially in a year where Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have set the NFL world on fire by joining Tampa Bay.
That being said, going after Fournette is a much bigger risk than the potential reward.
Fournette is a running back with Pro Bowl potential, but there’s also an amount of uncertainty surrounding him. Even if the Buccaneers could sign him for one or two seasons by reworking some deals to get enough cap space- which would be incredibly difficult, especially at this point in the preseason- there’s no guarantee he won’t sit out, get injured or become a distraction for a young team that is trying to make its way to the postseason.
We all like the idea of having a Brady-Fournette backfield, especially with the questions surrounding guys like Ronald Jones II and LeSean McCoy after their camp performances so far, but it’s simply too big of a risk within an offense that is already going to be one of the best in the league with any more additions.