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The face of the franchise for nearly a decade will be moving on. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have decided it’s best to release Gerald McCoy, saving them $13-million in cap space for the 2019 season.
BREAKING: DT Gerald McCoy has been informed by the Bucs of their plans to release him after nine seasons. The team decided not to pay him the $13-million salary he was owed for 2019.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) May 20, 2019
McCoy was always in danger of being let go, one way or another, once the Bucs decided to shift to a 3-4 defense.
McCoy, in his nine seasons, has 296 tackles and 54.5 sacks in 123 games. He also has six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and 79 tackles for loss.
McCoy willl certainly help another team, but his salary versus his production and scheme fit just wasn’t the right fit for Tampa Bay moving forward.