Gerald McCoy, a veteran defensive tackle who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for nine seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl six times, announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday.
On social media, McCoy made the announcement on social media with a video that showed him hanging up his cleats and saying “Thank you.”
Shortly thereafter, the Buccaneers referred to McCoy, 35, as “a Buccaneer great,” congratulating him on his retirement.
McCoy, the No. 3 pick in the 2010 draft, played for the Bucs for nine seasons and made the Pro Bowl six times, from 2012 to 2017. Additionally, he played for the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and Carolina Panthers.
He joined the Panthers in 2019 and had five sacks in his lone season in Carolina.
After suffering a ruptured right quadriceps before the 2020 season, he never appeared in a Cowboys game. He signed with the Raiders in 2021 yet was restricted to one game – – his last – – after another knee injury.
McCoy started 139 of his 140 games and had 59.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles with 4 recoveries, 24 pass deflections, and 334 tackles over his career.
