Gerald McCoy might not have been thrilled with the way his departure from Tampa Bay was handled, or that they gave his jersey number to a mercenary before his locker was cold.
But he still has fond memories of the place, for some reason.
Via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the longtime defensive lineman said when he eventually retires, he’ll do so as a member of the team that drafted him.
“I’m going to retire a Buc. I can tell you that now,’' McCoy said. “Yeah. What do they do? One day contracts? Ten hour contracts? Whatever. I don’t know what it’s called. I’m going to retire a Buc. I’ve already talked to owners, we’ve already established that. So regardless of where I go, whether I’m here a couple more years, whether I go somewhere else, when I officially retire, I’m going to go and retire as a Buccaneer.’'
McCoy played nine seasons with the Buccaneers, and never saw the playoffs during his time. In fact, the 10 games they won his rookie year (2010) was the high-water mark. He played well, earning six Pro Bowl nods, but team success escaped him, and was part of the reason he chose the Panthers when he suddenly became a free agent in May.