Bucs didn't announce the move, but last night's NFL transactions release shows they released Leonard Fournette, as expected. The move creates about $3.5 million in new salary cap space.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 16, 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially moved on from one of its Super Bowl pieces.
Although the team did not announce the move officially, the Bucs released [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag] as per his wishes on Wednesday. Fournette signed with the Bucs in 2020 and was the lead back in Tampa Bay for three seasons while playing with the quarterback who recruited him in Tom Brady.
The move is mutually beneficial for both sides. Fournette expressed his desire to not stick around during Tampa Bay’s rebuilding phase in the wake of Brady’s departure and the Bucs get to save some money on the salary cap — the team officially opened up $3.5 million in cap space with the move, which will give them some comfort after retaining some key pieces at the start of free agency.
The team will look to replace Fournette with Rachaad White, who should see a big increase in production next year. On top of that, the team signed RB Chase Edmonds to a one-year deal on Thursday, so the team will be starting over with a very different-looking backfield heading into next season.
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