“Thank You”: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Bid Adieu to 6x Pro Bowler DT Legend as He Hangs Up His Cleats After 12 Years of Grit and Sweat

It is going to be a season of change for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. After their 7X Super Bowl champion and NFL GOAT Tom Brady announced his retirement earlier this year, the question of finding a worthy successor to his shoes was a major highlight for them this offseason. While they put their trust in the signing of Baker Mayfield as Brady’s successor, the Buccaneers recently had another emotional farewell.

As the new season of the league approaches, the Buccaneers said their final goodbyes to their DT legend, who recently decided to retire from the NFL at the age of 35.

The Bucs bid their farewell to DT Gerald McCoy

Gerald McCoy, who has been an impeccable part of the Buccaneers’ defense, announced his retirement on Friday. At the age of 35, McCoy had quite a career with the team. Tampa Bay Buccaneers took to social media to show their gratitude to the defensive tackle, as they wished him on his retirement from the NFL.

In the Instagram post shared by the team, they say ‘Thank You’ to Gerald McCoy, dubbing him ‘A Buccaneer legend.’ The post also shares a few highlights of McCoy as he took the pitch for the Bucs.

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Gerald McCoy has spent nine seasons playing for the Bucs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him third overall in the 2010 NFL Drafts. With the news of his retirement from the league, let us revisit his glory days in the NFL.

McCoy’s career in the NFL

The 35-year-old has been a dominant lineman during his peak performance days. During his nine seasons with the Bucs, he earned six consecutive Pro Bowl Honors stretching from 2012 to 2017. With the Bucs, he had 54.5 sacks, 297 tackles, 140 quarterback hits, 79 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, and defended 22 passes. They released him from the team in 2019, post which he joined the Carolina Panthers. He further went on to sign with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 but did not play that season because of rupturing his quad. Las Vegas Raiders signed McCoy as a free agent in 2021. But he suffered from a knee injury from the one game he played, which eventually led to him being sidelined for the rest of the season once again. 

The DT finally decided on retiring after not playing in 2022 as well. As Gerald McCoy moves on to pursue other things post his NFL retirement, the Buccaneers will forever commemorate his achievements.  

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