They may not be on a mission from a higher power, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are undoubtedly bringing the band together again.
Leonard Fournette becomes the latest member of the 2020 Buccaneers to rejoin the club, signing a one-year contract worth up to $ 4 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Fournette arrived in Tampa through a free agency after a surprise launch of the Jacksonville Jaguars – the team that selected him in fourth place in the 2017 NFL Draft – just before the start of the regular season.
He arrived at a somewhat crowded running back room in a team that was preparing for a title race in its first year with Tom Brady in the center, and managed to win a kind of role in the regular season, with 97 times for 367 yards and six points, but also passing three games as a member of the inactive list.
If Tampa Bay hadn’t run for the Super Bowl, it would have been more likely that Fournette would have gone elsewhere, but the postseason allowed Fournette to shine and stay close.
Fournette ran 64 times for 300 yards and three scores in the four Tampa Bay playoff games and picked up 18 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, scoring in a timely game after game and raising his status after reflection, lagging behind Ronald Jones, to Playoff Lenny and, eventually, Lombardi Lenny.
Lombardi Lenny is fighting for another title race, an effort that the Bucs considered “trying two” in 2021 and saw players like Shaquil Barrett, Rob Gronkowski and Ndamukong Suh, among others, signing again with the team. The money is not a ton, but neither is it cents for a running back. As other Bucs have shown, it’s not just about money this season – it’s about looking for another ring.