Gerald McCoy Not Present at Buccaneers OTAs Amid Contract Dispute

Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was not present as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' organized team activities got underway Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.

McCoy is under contract for three more seasons and is owed $13 million in 2019, though none of it is guaranteed. According to Stroud, the two sides have not discussed a restructured deal to this point.

The 31-year-old also elected to skip the team's voluntary offseason workout programs.

Since being hired in January, Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians has been noncommittal about McCoy's future with the team, given he is owed more than $38 million through 2021. 

"I've got to evaluate him," Arians said of McCoy in March, per The Athletic's Greg Auman. "Guys at a certain age, it's different. Usually the age where they get paid the most and production [doesn't] match. We've got to find that out."

After McCoy was a no-show to voluntary workouts, Arians said it was "up to [McCoy]" if he would be a part of the team moving forward. 

When asked last week if he will be on the field this year, McCoy responded that he "will be playing football somewhere." He did, however, decline to speculate if it would be in a Buccaneers uniform:

This comes after Stroud reported that some fans and possibly Arians were "wondering if he still has his enthusiasm for football." McCoy took to Instagram to tell his critics: "I work. Don't you ever question me." 

McCoy is coming off a season in which he recorded 28 combined tackles and six sacks in 14 games. He has piled up at least five sacks in each of the past seven seasons and has 54.5 over his nine-year career.

The situation will be worth keeping an eye on when the calendar flips to June. Tampa Bay's mandatory minicamps open June 4, and the team can fine McCoy if he does not show up.