Buccaneers: 3 big-name free agent departures to plan for
By Rob Leeds
One of the reasons why the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl
Leonard Fournette’s market has grown a lot large during the past few weeks. “Playoff Lenny” is an addition that almost every team in the NFL can use, and while he has expressed interest in returning for 2021, Fournette’s price tag could be too high for the Buccaneers.
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Fournette didn’t have a massive market after his release from Jacksonville. Still, his playoff performances spoke for themselves, and his willingness to stick it out in Tampa shows a player that is willing to put the team above himself. Fournette has quickly revived his career, and now he will get paid accordingly.
The Buccaneers should want Fournette back, especially considering his eagerness to return, but the money is still the difficult selling point. Tampa Bay still has Ronald Jones on the roster and a day two pick from last season that has rarely been used yet, so shelling out money to Fournette at market value seems a bit excessive.
The cheapest option is to let Fournette walk and use the duo on the roster with a rookie next season, but this could still lead to a drop-off in production. Fournette’s consistency in the playoffs is tough to replicate, and the Buccaneers letting him walk for money in the offseason could set their run game back in 2021, but the options are limited when the money gets this tight.
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