TAMPA, Fla. _ On Monday, the Bucs informed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy he will be released, ending his nine-year career in Tampa Bay.
It came down to two choices for the Bucs and McCoy: pay him or release him.
No hometown discounts. No restructuring his $13-million contract for 2019. If he was going to take less money, it would be to chase a championship with another team.
The final decision was left to the Glazer family which owns the Bucs.
McCoy's release leaves another huge hole in a defensive line that could be without leading sacker Jason Pierre-Paul, who suffered a cervical fracture in a car accident May 2.
McCoy, however, may be better off than the Bucs.
The team had given his agent, Ben Dogra, permission to talk to other teams to find a new home for McCoy.
A trade wasn't really plausible since no other team was willing to pick up McCoy's $13-million salary and compensate the Bucs with a player or draft pick. Once the decision was reached, McCoy received a call from general manager Jason Licht and then one from Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer.
Although the decision may have surprised McCoy, he left on good terms with the Bucs and the Glazer family, which could have dragged out the process and prompted the team to wait to make a trade until the start of the season.
The Bucs have several options, including to move quickly and sign Rams free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Ironically, Suh was selected one spot ahead of McCoy at No. 2 overall in 2010. He had 4 { sacks for the Rams last season.
McCoy's release ends a perplexing ordeal that saw new coach Bruce Arians question McCoy's production, value and his enthusiasm for the game, and McCoy fire back with a stern rebuttal on Instagram. Prior to the decision Monday, the Bucs stance had been that they may have still wanted McCoy on their team for 2019. They just didn't think he was worth $13-million at age 31, especially considering their tight salary cap situation.
But McCoy has already made well over $100-million. At this point in his career, he figured if he's going to sacrifice salary, it will be to win a championship with a perennial playoff contender like the New England Patriots, who showed interest in signing the six-time Pro Bowler and reuniting him with former Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett.
Above all else, the Bucs at least recognized that what McCoy meant to the franchise and his contributions to the community would not prevent him from finding another team. If McCoy could earn $8-million or $9-million per year with a winning franchise, he would be content to move on.
But then the Pierre-Paul accident entered into the equation.
Pierre-Paul, the team's leading sacker with 12.5, suffered a cervical fracture when he smashed his red Ferrari into a concrete barrier after losing control in the rain on Interstate 95 around 2:30 a.m. on May 2 in Broward County. Pierre-Paul and a passenger were transported to a hospital and released. But after consulting specialists, the Bucs determined that Pierre-Paul would be out a minimum of 12 weeks, at which time doctors will evaluate if the fracture healed or will require season-ending surgery.
Either way, the Bucs knew they would be without Pierre-Paul for a good portion of September in order for him to get into football shape because he will have had no offseason training or preseason games. The Bucs defensive line is parchment paper thin as it is. Having to start a season without Pierre-Paul and McCoy, who was third in sacks with six and led the team with 21 quarterback pressures, will be devastating.
McCoy also felt bad for his Bucs teammates. He didn't want to be seen as abandoning the other players on the defensive line when they needed him the most, especially younger stars like defensive tackle Vita Vea. That's the only reason he considered remaining with the Bucs, Not many other players would feel that way, but McCoy's strong principles have always guided him.
The third overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2010, McCoy's career will one day be revered enough for him to earn a spot in the Bucs' ring of honor.
He spent his first two seasons primarily recovering from a torn biceps muscle, first in one arm as a rookie and then the other his second year.
But McCoy's 54.5 career sacks in 123 games ranks fourth in the NFL among active defensive tackles.
In March, Arians said McCoy wasn't as disruptive as he was four years ago and wanted to see if the six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle still had his "enthusiasm," for the game.
Earlier this month, McCoy fired back on Instagram, saying, "I work. Don't you ever question me."
McCoy had not participated in any of the Bucs off-season workout programs. But he continued his annual routine of working out with trainer Todd Durkin in California. He appears trim and says he would like to play three or four more years.
