Longtime NFL veteran running back Leonard Fournette signed a new contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fournette spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sources: The #Bucs are re-signing RB Leonard Fournette, as more of Tom Brady’s friends return to Tampa. He gets a 3-year deal worth $21M up to $24M.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2022
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Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Agree to Contract
Fournette completed his fifth year in the NFL last season. It was just his second with the Buccaneers. The team brought him back for an increased role after he had post-season success during the Bucs Super Bowl run.
Fournette wasn’t exactly a bell-cow back in the 2021 season. However, he did lead the team in rushing attempts and almost doubled his attempts from the previous season. Fournette finished the 2021 regular season with 180 rushes for 812 yards and eight touchdowns. He had a career-high of 4.5 yards per carry. Fournette also had 69 receptions on 84 targets for 454 yards and two touchdowns. He suffered a hamstring injury in late December which kept him out of the final three regular-season games. He played in the Bucs playoff contest against the Los Angeles Rams. In that game, he had 13 rushing attempts for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Fournette’s 2020 season was his first with the Bucs. He played second to Ronald Jones Jr., as it was somewhat of a prove-it year for him. In that season, Fournette rushed the ball 97 times for 367 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 36 receptions for 233 yards on 47 targets. Fournette played in 13 games in 2020, but only started three. But the playoffs were a different story.
The 2020 post-season gave rise to the birth of “Playoff Lenny”. Fournette rushed for 300 yards on 64 attempts in the playoffs. He had three touchdowns and a 4.7-yard per carry average. He also added one receiving touchdown in the post-season. In the Super Bowl, Fournette had 16 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also had four receptions for 46 yards.
Fournette was the fourth overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent his first three seasons with the Jags. His tenure with the team was up and down due to injury and some maturity issues, but he did have a 1000 yard rushing season his rookie year during an AFC Championship run. In three seasons with the Jags, Fournette rushed 666 times for 2631 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Fournette is from New Orleans, LA and played college football for the Louisiana State University Tigers.
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