Running back Leonard Fournette, thought to be the one free agent who might get away from the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl team, is coming back for another season, agreeing Friday to a one-year, $3.25 million deal.
Fournette was huge for the Bucs in the playoffs, scoring a touchdown in all four games and topping 100 yards from scrimmage in three of them. He’ll combine with Ronald Jones in the backfield as the Bucs try to become the league’s first repeat champs since 2004.
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How he fits
The Bucs will have a compelling battle between Jones and Fournette, who split carries for much of 2020, with Jones as the primary back and leading rusher and Fournette working as the third-down and pass-catching back and taking his share of series as well. When Jones missed time late in the year with a broken pinkie, positive COVID-19 test and a quad injury, Fournette stepped up in a big way as “Playoff Lenny” piled up 300 rushing yards, 148 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the four playoff games. The Bucs like both backs, and both will be motivated as unrestricted free agents next spring.
2021 impact
The Jones-Fournette tandem will be back, so it’s just deciding who gets the first series, who carves out which roles to start the season. Both backs missed games with injuries, so the depth is a plus. Fournette averaged almost a full yard better per carry in the postseason; he had only two regular-season games where he averaged 4 yards per carry or better. Jones would have had more than 1,000 rushing yards had he stayed healthy, but his absence made Fournette’s postseason emergence possible. And don’t forget 2020 third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who had a quiet rookie year but is still well-liked by the coaching staff.
Draft impact
In theory, re-signing Fournette makes it less likely the Bucs draft a running back with a high pick, but with he and Jones both as free agents, they could be looking long-term if the right back is available. It’s possible the Bucs still would have a shot at one of the draft’s top two backs, Alabama’s Najee Harris or Clemson’s Travis Etienne, at the No. 32 pick, but having Fournette back may allow the Bucs to address a more important position for long-term, like defensive line or outside linebacker.
Cap update
Some sites had projected Fournette’s market value at as much as $8 million a year, so to get him for $3.25 million is a win for the Bucs, even as a decent raise from the $2 million he played for last season. The Bucs gained about $10.6 million in cap space when they gave tackle Donovan Smith an extension, and they’ve already used more than half of that in re-signing Fournette, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and tackle Josh Wells. They should have about $4 million left and can create more money with other restructures or cuts as they need to. They’ll also need to reserve about $2 million to cover the cap impact of eight draft picks.
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Outlook
The Bucs have been able to bring back every starter from a Super Bowl team, something unprecedented in the free agency era. Fournette gives them another weapon who helps in the run game and as a pass-catcher, and Tampa Bay has plenty of room to grow in the running game, having averaged less than 100 yards per game for four straight seasons. With another year in the offense, he could be more like Playoff Lenny throughout 2021, which would set up a return of Playoff Lenny next January as well.
(Photo: Butch Dill / Associated Press)