Buccaneers release DT Gerald McCoy, should Raiders be interested?

Today, a move that many had expected for some time came to be a reality, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released longtime defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

The Bucs were reticent to pay McCoy the $13M he was due this year, with new head coach Bruce Arians stating that McCoy had not been as disruptive as usual in recent seasons. Tampa had reportedly tried to trade McCoy in the last few weeks but was unable to find any team who would take on that contract, which still has three years remaining but leaves Tampa with zero cap hit now that McCoy is off the team.

Even though a trade didn’t happen, now that the big DT is on the open market, there will be no shortage of suitors. The Cowboys, Eagles, Browns, Colts, Seahawks, etc. would figure to be highly interested in his services, which should come at a discount from his previous $13M price tag. McCoy has 54.5 sacks and 297 tackles in his nine-year career.

McCoy is 31, and was the third pick in the 2010 Draft. Sam Bradford was the top pick in that draft, and Ndamukong Suh (another current free agent) was taken second. The top of that draft was a goldmine, and in fact the only player taken between second and ninth who never made a Pro Bowl was.... Rolando McClain, taken eighth by a team whose name we will not mention here.

The former Buc has plenty left in the tank, and the Raiders could still use some more impact players along the defensive line. The team is no stranger to acquiring premier defensive tackles who some might think are past their prime. Oakland traded a first rounder in 2009 for Richard Seymour, who was the bright spot of some miserable defenses for the next few years. McCoy wouldn’t cost anything but money.

Jon Gruden has jettisoned much of the veteran defensive talent the Raiders were flush with last season, in favor of a youth movement. There’s something to be said for a veteran presence on defense, and defensive line coach Brentson Buckner might be pleased to coach McCoy once again as he did in Tampa Bay when McCoy was at his most effective.