The Carolina Panthers kept defensive end Gerald McCoy within the NFC South Division after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers parted ways with him a couple weeks back, giving the veteran a one-year contract on Monday. The official terms of the contract were not disclosed, but it is said to be worth up to $10.25 million, along with a $4 million signing bonus. The six-time Pro Bowler chose the Panthers after meeting with the likes of the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, as the Panthers were late arrivals in his sweepstakes.
Sources told ESPN that following McCoy's meeting with the Ravens, he thought he would be signing with them, but Panthers quarterback Cam Newton reportedly helped recruit him to Carolina. The 31-year-old defender has always been a fan of Newton, and even went as far as to say that the quarterback needs to win the MVP back in 2015, while being a rival of his.
McCoy and the Buccaneers mutually parted ways on May 20th, and they have quickly replaced him with Ndamukong Suh, who even took his number 93. He will now join Kawann Short and Dontari Poe on the Panthers' front line, with hopes of improving them from their 35 sacks, which ranked 27th in the league in 2018. McCoy has 39.5 sacks since 2010, trailing only Aaron Donald and Geno Atkins in that time span. He also has 45.5 sacks since 2013 and 54.5 sacks overall, but has fallen off to just six sacks each of the past two seasons.
His departure from Tampa Bay wasn't the prettiest with him wanting more money, which he got, despite the shorter deal. He will now join a team that he played well against, as he has 4.5 career sacks against the Panthers, tied for second most against a single team in his career. He has five career sacks against the Atlanta Falcons, and will still get a chance to increase that number in 2019.
Sources told ESPN that following McCoy's meeting with the Ravens, he thought he would be signing with them, but Panthers quarterback Cam Newton reportedly helped recruit him to Carolina. The 31-year-old defender has always been a fan of Newton, and even went as far as to say that the quarterback needs to win the MVP back in 2015, while being a rival of his.
McCoy and the Buccaneers mutually parted ways on May 20th, and they have quickly replaced him with Ndamukong Suh, who even took his number 93. He will now join Kawann Short and Dontari Poe on the Panthers' front line, with hopes of improving them from their 35 sacks, which ranked 27th in the league in 2018. McCoy has 39.5 sacks since 2010, trailing only Aaron Donald and Geno Atkins in that time span. He also has 45.5 sacks since 2013 and 54.5 sacks overall, but has fallen off to just six sacks each of the past two seasons.
His departure from Tampa Bay wasn't the prettiest with him wanting more money, which he got, despite the shorter deal. He will now join a team that he played well against, as he has 4.5 career sacks against the Panthers, tied for second most against a single team in his career. He has five career sacks against the Atlanta Falcons, and will still get a chance to increase that number in 2019.
