Is Leonard Fournette Saying Goodbye to Tampa Bay?

Does Fournette's Instagram post hint at the RB leaving during free agency?

It is no surprise that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would eventually have to deal with a mass exodus of players after going all in the past two seasons trying to win a Super Bowl. The drawback of putting together a roster of this caliber is that many of the players are on short-term deals and hit free agency all at once. This is the case with Bucs' RB Leonard Fournette, who quickly became a fan favorite once joining the team in 2020.

Once Fournette joined the Bucs in the 2020 season he had to prove himself to earn the starting RB job over Ronald Jones. He did that and posted great numbers in limited action: 367 yards on 97 attempts for 6 touchdowns. The largest impact he had was in the playoffs when he went on a tear and earned himself the nickname "Playoff Lenny" from his teammates. Fournette began the 2021 season where he left off and finished the season with 812 yards on 180 carries and 8 touchdowns as the featured back in the Bucs' committee backfield.

READ MORE: Three QBs Tampa Bay Must Pursue After Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson Moves

Leonard Fournette hits free agency this offseason along with his RB counterpart Ronald Jones. It would be smart for the Bucs to try and retain one of them heading into next season. Fournette, however, may have given some insight on his next chapter in the NFL via his Instagram page.

Now many people will think this is just a post-season post showing appreciation, however once you read it through a second time it starts to sound like "Playoff Lenny" will be moving on from Tampa Bay. The main thing to take away from the post is "I'm thankful appreciate my teammates, coaches, family, fans for everything." The word everything says a lot here in my opinion and could very likely mean Fournette is moving on.

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers' center receiving serious attention from AFC North

Many Bucs' fans love Fournette and would hate to see if go, but they will forever be grateful for the efforts he put in on the 2020 Super Bowl run.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook