Gerald McCoy Retires
April 14th, 2023
End of an era.
This should come as no shock to anyone.
Former Bucs stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has announced his retirement. The Bucs and GMC himself put out a coordinated message through social media that his 12-year career is over.
The Bucs drafted GMC in 2010 and he quickly established himself as one of the game’s best defensive tackles. He made the Pro Bowl six straight years and in 2013 was named All-Pro.
The reason why this shouldn’t shock anyone is because GMC has played in one game the past two seasons. Age and injuries did him in, and his six-game drug suspension probably played a role, too.
GMC was released by the Bucs as part of a roster overhaul in the 2019 offseason as the Bucs brought in Bucco Bruce Arians and flipped to a 34 defense under Todd Bowles.
Ironically, GMC was replaced on the roster by his long-time college rival Ndamukong Suh. We recently learned from former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik that he furiously tried to trade up from No. 3 in the 2010 draft to get Suh.
GMC is a good guy but for reasons not clear to Joe, he was reviled by many Bucs fans. All the guy did was bust his tail and play good ball despite being on garbage Bucs teams.
Joe guesses fans hated GMC because he was, through no fault of his own, the face of a franchise synonymous with horrible football.
GMC is a good dude and even when he wasn’t with the Bucs, he cheered on the team through social media. Joe would not be surprised if GMC is working TV soon. He’s very good at it.
Yes, “this Joe” (not the other Joe) expects GMC will be inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor. However, that next honor should go to Tom Brady.
THANK YOU!!! pic.twitter.com/NxE9K4TfJK
— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) April 14, 2023
April 14th, 2023 at 9:30 am
It would have been cool to have signed him to a one day contract to retire as a Buc.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:30 am
Good luck Gerald. You were a great Buc!
April 14th, 2023 at 9:32 am
Good player….and a CLASS act !!!
April 14th, 2023 at 9:33 am
GMC was an excellent DT on bad teams.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:34 am
good dude good player. if we had drafted suh he would have been long gone from tb by our super bowl run. we have had plenty of players great were neither good dudes nor good players at the same time and sometimes neither. glad he was a buc- wish there was a better team around him during his prime
April 14th, 2023 at 9:36 am
Nice, always felt like GMC got picked on because of his child like heart and approach to leadership.
Easily the second-best Buc of the dark ages in recent Bucs history. Never had a problem with his heart and attitude and play. Would have loved to see him and LVD lift the Lombardi together!!!
He deserves the Ring of Honor for sure. Right after they put Gruden in it.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:37 am
Good guy and good player, wish him well!
April 14th, 2023 at 9:37 am
GMC should link up with Marcellus Wiley, or Darren Bates and the guys at the RawRoom pod. I’d love to hear some of his stories from the time he spent in the league, moreso any behind the scenes tidbits from his time as a Buc. Best wishes to him, I follow him on the bird app and he’s consistent rooting for the Bucs.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:39 am
GMC was a very good player….a good Buc……not great but very good.
He certainly doesn’t deserve much of the ridicule he received from fans.
I wish him well in his retirement. With an estimated net worth upwards of $45 mil, I think he has a good start.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:40 am
Those may be the worst sports uniform of all time. The digital clock uniforms are an abomination.
And happy trails, Gerald. Wish you a happy retirement.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:45 am
I thought he was already? Do we mean he submitted his paperwork to officially retire?
April 14th, 2023 at 9:47 am
“Sorry, Ben”
April 14th, 2023 at 9:49 am
Joe. GMC was injured his first two seasons and did not play much. He tore his biceps tendon each time. Turns out that coaches showed him new techniques as his arm tackling was the issue.
When you aren’t playing – you are a “Bust”. I like GMC. A nice dude off the field and an very good, very talented player.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:52 am
@ TBBF
“not great but very good.”
I agree. I believe GMC took a lot of heat because the Bucs were horrible under Mark Dominik’s idiotic leadership. The fan base was extremely frustrated…
The only question I have now is – Does GMC belong in the “Ring of Honor”?
April 14th, 2023 at 9:54 am
One good thing about GMC he remains a loyal buc fan; He would be a good analyst if he was more assertive, much better than booger or marcus spears
April 14th, 2023 at 9:54 am
That’s people and many Bucs’ fans for ya finding reasons to hate on GMC.
We sure like do like POS people these days instead of the good guys and the ones who work their arses off (and produce to).
That’s people for ya and the downward trajectory of this world today and what people are looking for & seeing 🤦♂️ awful judgment.
Happy retirement GMC and thanks for everything. Not even close to my favorite player, but definitely a fan of the player and the person. No reason to dislike this guy as a Bucs fan. Enjoy the retirement Life Gerald!
April 14th, 2023 at 9:56 am
Suffering: “ It would have been cool to have signed him to a one day contract to retire as a Buc.”
Too bad we don’t have the cap space.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:03 am
Great player, shi** leader. I’m sorry, but I can’t forgive dancing on the sidelines when you are losing a game. The contrast between him and JPP was stark. GMC felt at home in those alarm clock unis.
That being said, his production was great, his support for the franchise and community was great, I wish him the best and think he should be in the ring of honor one day too.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:12 am
Congratulations on retirement. If it is true you and suh are rivals he got the best of you but go out and enjoy life without being bashed by buc fans, I was one of them
April 14th, 2023 at 10:14 am
I’m a big GMC fan. He was a great player who doesn’t have a ring and he was a nice guy. He deserves to be in the Ring of Honor.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:21 am
Being the best defender on a losing team seems similar to being the best RB on the worst rushing attack in the league. McCoy doesn’t have a single signature play in his career as a Buc. No game stopping sack, fumble recovery….nothing. When I think of the ring of honor, every player has a trait that stood out. McCoy doesn’t….no records held, no playoff appearances, no game winning stops.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:27 am
Gerald took a lot of heat from fans because he didn’t live up to the standard of Sapp, one of the greatest and most disruptive DBs of all time, and fans were pretty unhappy with the team in general and took it out on #93.
You don’t get named to six straight Pro Bowls and as an All-Pro if you’re not a great player. But even great players can struggle to make a huge impact if you don’t have other excellent players around you.
I’d like to see him in the Ring of Honor someday but Brady and some others need to go in first.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:37 am
If I remember well; wasn’t it him who started the “Goodell Hug”?
April 14th, 2023 at 10:40 am
The real-estate on the stadium ring of honor should be treated like NYC real-estate. We don’t give those out too easily. GMC had 6 good seasons in his career. But, I do accept that he had to burden a lot on his shoulders on a stretch of Bucs football that was just utterly brutal. The organization as a whole didn’t put a team around him.
What would his career have looked like had he been on another team in his prime?
One thing you can’t take away from GMC is his loyalty to the team. He could have left like Suh did to chase money or rings.
Respect for his dedication to the Bucs. Have a great retirement GMC.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:52 am
Hats off to Gerald McCoy. Great player for our team and community.
Never understood the hate either. Gerald’s not Warren Sapp? No one is (except Sapp who will always be one of a kind).
April 14th, 2023 at 10:55 am
“Joe guesses fans hated GMC because he was, through no fault of his own, the face of a franchise synonymous with horrible football.”
Lavonte David was a face as well and was on most of those pretty bad football teams with Gerald, and even before Arians showed up, we loved David. Perhaps his involvement was more apparent given his position on the defense so it seems like he always showed up on the stat sheet, but maybe it was a different swagger, honestly I don’t know… Simply put, I don’t think Gerald was a “dog” and/or killer… Suh was everything we needed Gerald to be. Gerald dealt with several injuries over his career, and we never really saw him take over a game when we needed him most. His numbers came arbitrarily throughout a game. And his supporting cast wasn’t always the worst, I don’t want to hear that…coaching is another story, but I would argue 2016 to 2018 weren’t bad rosters. We even had Buccaneer “defense” hype video for one of those seasons…was it for the 2017 season?
April 14th, 2023 at 11:00 am
Brady was a hired gun, NO to the Ring of Honor.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:11 am
He lasted 10 years. And about 7 of those 10 were really great. Man gave it his all. Good luck to you sir. Thanks for your hard play with Our Bucs.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:14 am
Put him in the Ring of Better Than Most.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:20 am
Joe, I am surprised GMC did not sign a one day contract and retire a Buc? Do you think this was discussed and the Bucs said “No”? Maybe they are not sure the Glazers want to put GMC in the Ring of Honor, and retiring a Buc would pressure them to do so?
April 14th, 2023 at 11:24 am
McCoy annoyed me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, he always talked about being a leader but never actually led. Do you think Swaggy Baker pulls the crap he pulled if he played with Sapp, or Suh?
Also, according to Beckles, everywhere McCoy went, the defense got worse. Conversely, everywhere Suh went, the defense got better. That bugs me. Also, I heard somewhere that McCoy freelanced a lot. That’s fine if you’re improving the defense but if the defenses get worse wherever you go, maybe you ought to do as you’re told?
I don’t hate him. I just don’t think he’s worthy of the RoH.
April 14th, 2023 at 11:35 am
Time to put on your softest kimono and head home to Carolina……Softie93.
ROH?
😂😂😂
April 14th, 2023 at 11:45 am
@ iamabuc
Yes, I believe you are correct. It became a normal thing after GMC did it, but can’t be sure he was the first to actually hug a commissioner
April 14th, 2023 at 11:59 am
Gerold was a very good player. Sometimes dominant. So good we all expected him to become great, defensive MVP type. I really thought he’d take that next step. His get off was elite. Injuries may have derailed it from happening. I’m not convinced he truly loved the game. Fans sensed it. Great person, Tampa was fortunate to have you.
April 14th, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Now he can hug fellow retiree Big Ben for real. “My bad, Ben.” The only time he showed up in the 4th quarter, he was dancing on the sidelines in a blowout loss. Great guy. Would be an awesome neighbor, puppy sitter, day care provider. All noble things.
As a football player, overrated. Name one difference making play he made at the end of a game to secure a win.
You can’t. Maybe grabbing Matt Ryan by the ankle that one time. Ok, one play in 10 years.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:14 pm
Good player, class act, stuck on a terrible team. Wish him the best in his next endeavors.
And I’m sure the super hero motifs in that video will rile up the usual Bucs fans lol.
April 14th, 2023 at 1:27 pm
GMC is a good guy but for reasons not clear to Joe, he was reviled by many Bucs fans.
————-
GRRRR!!!! HE WAS HATED BY FANS BECAUSE HE’S SOFT!!! GRRRR!!!! AND LIKES BATMAN!!! GRRRR!!! AND COMIC BOOKS!!!! GRRRRR!!! THAT MAKES ME SO ANGRY!!! I WANT HIM TO BE HARD, NOT SOFT LIKE ICE CREAM!!! GRRRRRR!!! HE ONES HELPED UP A QB THAT HE JUST SACKED AND THAT MADE ME SO ANGRY I BEAT MY DOG!!! GRRRRR!!!! MEAN!!!!GRRRRR!!!!
April 14th, 2023 at 3:06 pm
Suh made more of a difference for the Bucs in his 3 seasons than Geraldine made in 10.
Suh should be in the ring of honor before Geraldine.
Suh>>>>>> Geraldine
April 14th, 2023 at 3:50 pm
13 years after entering the league, I still to this day, cannot tell you what Gerald McCoy’s “signature game“ was.
I know he played for the Buccaneers for a long stretch, and I watched every minute of every game he was in… But I cannot name a single game that he took over and said “we are not losing this one.“
He might be the most forgettable buccaneer ever.
April 14th, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Funny, I thought he retired several years ago 😂😂😂
April 14th, 2023 at 7:57 pm
He was a good teammate and 6 pro bowls was nice but it is a popularity contest and people were synonymous with his name and his big grinning smile.
April 14th, 2023 at 9:42 pm
Gmac was given the impossible task of being the face of an underspending, underperforming, understaffed, losing organization. Tough spot. As a man, I think he was very respectable in his effort and attitude.
Go Bucs!!!
April 14th, 2023 at 10:38 pm
I was scanning the comments to see if tmax would come out of retirement to have one last nasty comment about McCoy’s retirement. Anyway, good luck Gerald. Good guy with a good heart, and a guy that’ll probably always cheer for our Bucs. Enjoy your retirement sir.
April 15th, 2023 at 7:12 am
Picking an opponent up from the deck isn’t a slur, guys. It’s football, not war.
April 15th, 2023 at 9:03 am
I watched every McCoy game. None, zero, are memoriable. But he did talk a lot.
Paul Gruber played on far worse Bucs teams, but he was excellent. And silent.
McCoy was better than most, a 10w bulb in a black hole.
Ring of Better Than Most material.
April 15th, 2023 at 9:05 am
BTW: McCoy didn’t retire. The NFL retired him.
“You’re fired.”
“No, I retire.”
April 15th, 2023 at 11:22 am
Fans are wild suh was on a better overall team the comparison doesn’t even make sense lol McCoy was a great player awesome for the community and absolutely deserves to be in the ring of honor.
April 15th, 2023 at 3:23 pm
McCoy brought the attitude that losing was acceptable. As has been well asked, no one can name one signature game the Geralidini had in his overrated career. Maybe one time he made half a play at the end of a game to help the Bucs win. The rest of the time he was tapping out because he was tired. Cobra has a good idea, “Ring of Better than Many.” I’m not sure most even applies.
Suh.
April 15th, 2023 at 11:27 pm
how can McCoy be a ring of honor candidate when the team got better after he left?? They even gave the new guy his jersey number. NO he’s NOT going in the ring. ok tell you what, ill support anyone who can show me the year the Bucs made the playoffs with McCoy on the team. 0
April 15th, 2023 at 11:34 pm
are we putting Sabby piscatellin on the ring too? how about Geno Hayes? 54 will make it. if 93 ever does it will be the name SUH
April 17th, 2023 at 1:18 am
If GMC was worth the $100 million he was paid by the Bucs then I guess Sapp should have been paid a billion $$$. Will always be remembered as Cancer93
April 20th, 2023 at 11:27 am
This is the only fan base that bash their former players !! This is the worst fan base in the NFL. 93 was good he was the only player with the bucs with 6 pro bowls and a all pro player and yet y’all bash him every time his name comes up.