Gerald McCoy ‘wasn’t a fit’ with Buccaneers says Bruce Arians

Heading into the offseason, there was plenty of expectation that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would part ways with star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

The Buccaneers made that decision last month that now has him on the open market. Head coach Bruce Arians touched upon the decision by stating that it was one that was made because McCoy simply wasn’t a fit for what the team wants moving forward, according to JoeBucsFan.com.

“It just wasn’t a fit,” Arians said. “Whether it was financial, whatever, on the field, you know, it just didn’t fit. I’ve been through this a number of times with guys and great players and it just comes a time when they have to separate the organization. You go back to Franco Harris not being a Steeler; this has happened for a long, long time.”

These comments shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that Arians had stated earlier this offseason that McCoy didn’t look like the same player he used to be. It also didn’t help that he was set to make around $13 million for the 2019 campaign.

This likely made the choice easy for Arians and the Bucs to move on from him and bring in another talented defensive tackle in Ndamukong Suh on a one-year deal that could be worth up to $10 million. Regardless of whether it wasn’t the ideal fit, this is a move that gives McCoy to get a fresh start elsewhere.

Throughout his career, he has proven to be one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. He has already held visits with the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens while drawing interest from the Cleveland Browns.