Veteran running back LeSean McCoy struck a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
“He is very excited to play with established vets like [Tom] Brady and Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] trying to win another championship, “Rosenhaus told ESPN.
McCoy’s incorporation will push Ronald Jones, who took over the first and second down duties for the Bucs last season, but struggled at times in passing protection and is not a natural pass receiver. McCoy will also press Dare Ogunbowale for third place.
The Bucs needed a running back who could contribute in the passing game, and McCoy has done so in previous stops. Rookie runner Ke’Shawn Vaughn was expected to contribute in this area, but he was put on the Reserve / COVID-19 test this week.
In April, McCoy told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was not ready to retire and hoped to play two more seasons.
McCoy, 32, met 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 by the Buffalo Bills.
He got off to a good start with 81 rushing yards in Week 1, but that 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 another score.
The six-time Pro Bowler and the two-time All-Pro continued to play a major role for half the season, but McCoy fell out of favor with the coaching staff after falling to close losses to the Colts and Packers. His playing time decreased as the season progressed, and he was inactive for the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LIV.
The 2019 season ended, ranking third among active players with 11,071 yards per run, behind only Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson. He won the league title in 2013 with 1,607 yards while 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, rushing for 3,866 yards from 2009 to 2012.
He had four inconsistent seasons with the Bills. He struggled in his first, finishing with 895 rushing yards. McCoy attributed that to being out of focus as a result of the exchange. McCoy responded by going over 1,100 yards rushing in each of his next two seasons, but struggled in 2018, finishing with 752 worse yards in his career.
In December, McCoy settled with ex-girlfriend Delicia Cordon in a lawsuit that accused him of failing to protect her from a violent invasion of her home in July 2018 at a home he owns in Milton, just outside of Atlanta. Cordon was bloodied and beaten, and $ 133,000 in jewelry was stolen from the home.
Cordon later modified the lawsuit to accuse McCoy of physically abusing her and orchestrating the attack. McCoy vehemently denied the allegations.
Jenna Laine and Adam Teicher of ESPN contributed to this report.
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