Buccaneers Legend Officially Announces Retirement

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had to say goodbye to a number of star players and coaches that either retired or moved on this offseason, most notably Tom Brady.

On Friday, the team congratulated another one of its former players on his retirement.

Gerald McCoy Retired

Former Buccaneers star Gerald McCoy announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday, hanging up his cleats after an impressive 11-year career.

The first nine of those seasons were spent with Tampa Bay, which drafted the defensive tackle with the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. McCoy immediately became a key member of the Buccaneers' defensive line, and before long he was a star. He earned six straight Pro Bowl selections from 2012-2017, receiving three All-Pro honors (two second team, one first team) along the way.

Unfortunately for McCoy, he left Tampa Bay shortly before Brady arrived and delivered a Super Bowl title. McCoy spent 2019 with the Carolina Panthers, but only appeared in one game (for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021) from 2020-2022 due to injuries and suspension. After not playing at all in 2022, the 35-year-old decided it was time to call it a career.

While the Buccaneers failed to make the playoffs during McCoy's tenure, fans will fondly remember him as one of the team's stars during its lean years.