The Gerald McCoy era may be nearing an end in Tampa Bay.
McCoy, the Buccaneers’ six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, has had a few things to say on Twitter recently that may be cryptic allusions to the possibility that he’ll need to move on from the team that selected him with the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
“Embrace change, even when the change slaps you in the face,” McCoy tweeted yesterday.
It’s easy to envision the Buccaneers deciding to make a change, as McCoy will turn 31 next month and is due a base salary of $13 million in 2019. The Buccaneers’ defense was the worst in the NFL last season, and there’s a new coaching staff, so it should go without saying that there will be changes on defense. Often when a team is looking to make changes, expensive players on the wrong side of 30 are the first to go.
If he becomes a free agent this offseason, McCoy would surely have plenty of suitors. But probably not any willing to pay him $13 million this year.