Best NFL Landing Spots for Leonard Fournette After Release from Buccaneers
In a couple of weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will bid farewell to Leonard Fournette, who had an instrumental role in their successful 2020 Super Bowl run, which helped him earn the nicknames "Playoff Lenny" and "Lombardi Lenny." A few teams can certainly use his postseason vigor. At 28 years old, he can balance an offense with his hard-nosed carries between the tackles.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Buccaneers will release Fournette on March 15, the first official day of free agency.
As of Tuesday, Tampa Bay is $56.5 million over the cap, the most in the league. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the club will take on now-retired quarterback Tom Brady's $35.1 million contract cap charge, which means general manager Jason Licht will likely make a few notable cuts, and Fournette is the first of such moves.
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Before anyone says that Fournette isn't worth any free-agent buzz, Licht did say that the six-year veteran can still handle a three-down role. The running back's 2022 numbers back up that claim.
This past season, behind an offensive line that lost starting Pro Bowl left guard Ali Marpet (retirement) and center Ryan Jensen, who missed the regular season with a knee injury, Fournette rushed for 668 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, he caught 73 passes for 523 yards and three touchdowns, eclipsing 1,190 scrimmage yards for the fourth time in six campaigns.
At this stage in his career, Fournette isn't a 265-plus-carry running back reminiscent of his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2017-2019), but he can transition into an efficient short-yardage back who poses a threat in the short passing game. For his career, Fournette averages four yards per rush attempt, and he's hauled in 312 passes for 2,219 yards and seven touchdowns.
Once Fournette hits the open market, three teams should call his agent to work out a deal that could cost between $4-5 million annually. Unlike his short stint as a free agent late in the 2020 offseason, he's coming off a down year in terms of rushing numbers. Other teams over the cap threshold may be willing to clear some cap space to make room for a playoff asset on a moderate salary.
Now, let's go through the best fits for Lombardi Lenny.
Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is eligible for an extension, and he'll likely sign a big-money deal in the near future, but the Los Angeles Chargers can still make a move to help him and balance their 30th-ranked rushing offense.
Just go back to Los Angeles' January playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round. The Chargers led 27-0 late in the second quarter, but they squandered the lead and allowed the Jaguars to mount the third-biggest comeback in NFL postseason history.
The Chargers may have been able to hold on to their four-possession lead if they had a bruising ball-carrier who can rip off four-yard runs to bleed the clock. Los Angeles tried to fill that need in last year's draft, selecting 6'1", 215-pound running back Isaiah Spiller in the fourth round, but he only appeared in six games (18 carries for 41 yards). As a healthy scratch for multiple outings, Spiller fell behind Joshua Kelley and Sony Michel for the role to spell Austin Ekeler.
New Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys between 2019 and 2022, mentioned his former team's running back tandem while sizing up Los Angeles' backfield.
"You saw what Zeke and Tony were able to do in Dallas this past year," Moore said. "I thought that it allowed both of those guys to be playing really good football late in the season, and as fresh as they possibly could."
In Los Angeles, Moore may try to replicate what he had in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard with Fournette taking on the role of the former and Ekeler handling similar responsibilities to the latter. Kelley, a 2020 fourth-rounder, has struggled to establish himself in a complementary role over the past three seasons.
Los Angeles is about $20.4 million over the cap, but the front office can easily make room for Fournette.
The Chargers can restructure edge-rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack to save about $26.1 million. The Athletic's Daniel Popper listed wide receiver Keenan Allen as one of the team's "most likely" cuts, highlighting that the club can save $14.8 million if it releases him.
Buffalo Bills
On Tuesday, at the NFL Scouting Combine, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters that the team would restructure contracts to create cap space, though he doesn't anticipate any major signings.
Even though the Bills may tighten up their spending while $16.6 million over the cap, Fournette shouldn't cost them more than $5 million annually, which isn't a big signing. As of Tuesday, 17 running backs have contracts that average more than $5 million per year.
The Bills will have a glaring need at running back with Devin Singletary set to become a free agent in a couple of weeks. In his presser, Beane expressed excitement for James Cook, who's in line to take on an expanded role, but the Georgia product carried the ball more than 45 times once in four terms on the collegiate level. As a senior, he logged 113 rush attempts. In his 2022 rookie term, he logged 89 carries for 507 yards and two touchdowns.
As an explosive playmaker with a history of splitting touches out of the backfield, Cook will likely share the running back workload, which opens the door for Fournette to handle short-yardage and goal-line opportunities. At 5'8", 198 pounds, Nyheim Hines isn't suited for that role.
With the addition of Fournette, Buffalo can preserve quarterback Josh Allen's health. Beane admitted that Allen played through injury late in 2022. The Bills signal-caller has registered at least 102 carries in four consecutive campaigns, racking up 28 rushing touchdowns inside the 10-yard line in his five-year career.
To clear cap space, the Bills can restructure Allen's deal as well as Von Miller's contract to save $32.4 million.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints would have to clear quite a bit of cap space to add Fournette. As of Tuesday, they're $30.9 million over the cap threshold. With that said, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Saints will talk to free-agent quarterback Derek Carr for the second time, and he would cost far more than a running back on the back end of his prime years.
If the Saints don't sign Carr, they may need their running backs to carry a heavy workload.
The Athletic's Larry Holder thinks Jameis Winston's time in New Orleans "is likely up," which would leave Jake Luton as the only quarterback on the books. Even if the team sets its sights on another experienced free-agent veteran quarterback, whoever it is, he's going to need help elevating an offense that ranked 22nd and 19th in points and yards, respectively, last season.
Furthermore, running back Alvin Kamara may miss multiple games in the upcoming campaign. A Clark County grand jury indicted him and three others on conspiracy to commit battery and battery resulting in substantial bodily harm for an alleged beating in February 2022.
Even if Kamara isn't suspended by the league, the Saints should add another ball-carrier. The five-time Pro Bowl running back has become accustomed to splitting touches in the backfield. Over the past six seasons, the Saints have paired him with Mark Ingram II, Latavius Murray and Taysom Hill.
New Orleans has an unsettled quarterback situation and a running back whose short-term availability seems uncertain.
If Fournette signs with New Orleans, he could handle the lion's share of touches if Kamara misses significant time. The ex-Jaguar would reunite with his former head coach in Doug Marrone, who's the Saints offensive line coach.
As a New Orleans native, Fournette may see that role with this particular team as an appealing draw in a decision on where to start a new career chapter.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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