4 expensive players the Buccaneers may have to move on from
By Rob Leeds
Leonard Fournette came to the Buccaneers as an extremely cheap option, but his future in Tampa Bay is very uncertain. With Ronald Jones performing at an elite level at the moment and with Fournette injured, the Buccaneers may not be able to justify keeping Fournette after his contract expires.
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If the cap space is as tight as it looks going forward, running back is one of the first positions the Bucs will need to trim away fat at. Tampa Bay doesn’t run the ball enough to warrant a significant contract for a running back.
The best bet for the Buccaneers moving forward is to keep Ronald Jones as their starter and supplement their depth with cheap draft picks and less-expensive free agents than Fournette. There will likely be a decent market for Fournette after the conclusion to this season, and Tampa Bay can’t afford to pay him anything more than they currently are.
The Buccaneer backfield is as good as it has been in years when everyone is healthy, but this move always looked like a one-year stopover for Fournette rather than a long-term option.
All of this would change if Fournette were willing to play on a team-friendly contract, but his role would be minimal if Jones keeps up his current pace, and the money would be better spent elsewhere.