Running back LeSean McCoy has struck a deal on a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
“He’s very excited to play with established veterans like [Tom] Brady and Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] trying to win another championship, ”Rosenhaus told ESPN.
The addition of McCoy will push Ronald Jones, who took on the first and second duties for the Bucs last season but struggled to protect passes at times and is not a natural wide receiver. McCoy will also push Dare Ogunbowale for third place.
The Bucs needed a running back who could help with the passing game and McCoy has done so in previous saves. Rookie running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn was expected to contribute in this area, but he was placed on the Reserve / COVID-19 test this week.
In April, McCoy told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was not ready to retire and that he hoped to play two more seasons.
McCoy, 32, reunited with coach Andy Reid after signing a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs shortly before the start of last season after his release from the Buffalo Bills.
He got off to a good start with 81 rushing yards in Week 1, but it would be his best effort of the season as he finished the season with 465 yards and four touchdowns on 101 carries. He also caught 28 passes for 181 yards and one other score.
The six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro continued to play an important role throughout the midseason, but McCoy fell out of favor with the coaching staff after escaping narrow losses to the Colts and the Packers. His playing time decreased over the season and he was inactive for the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl LIV.
He finished the 2019 season third among active players with 11,071 career rushing yards, behind only Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson. He won the league title in 2013 with 1,607 yards with the Philadelphia Eagles and led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2011.
McCoy played under Reid with the Eagles for the first four seasons of his career, totaling 3,866 yards from 2009 to 2012.
He’s had four inconsistent seasons with the Bills. He struggled in his first, finishing with 895 rushing yards. McCoy attributed this to the lack of focus due to the exchange. McCoy responded by passing 1,100 yards in each of his next two seasons, but struggled in 2018, finishing with a worst 752 yards in scrum.
In December, McCoy reached an agreement with ex-girlfriend Delicia Cordon in a lawsuit that accused him of failing to protect her from a violent home invasion in July 2018 at a house he owns in Milton , just outside of Atlanta. Cordon was bloodied and beaten, and $ 133,000 in jewelry was stolen from the house.
Cordon later modified the trial to accuse McCoy of physically abusing her and orchestrating the attack. McCoy vehemently denied the allegations.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
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