Report: Leonard Fournette Re-Signs with Bucs on 3-Year, $21M Contract

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly re-signed running back Leonard Fournette on a three-year, $21 million contract through the 2024 season.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Tuesday the deal carries a maximum value of $24 million.

The free-agent signing comes one day after general manager Jason Licht said he was hopeful they could bring back Fournette.

"I'd say that we'll continue talks with a lot of our players, and we'll do the best we can," Licht told reporters Monday. "We would love to have Leonard back."

Those remarks came following a report from ESPN's Field Yates earlier Monday saying the New England Patriots were hosting Fournette on a free-agent visit.

Fournette spent the past two seasons with the star-studded Bucs after playing his first three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.

He's coming off a 2021 campaign where he tallied 1,266 yards from scrimmage (812 rushing and 454 receiving) and 10 total touchdowns in 14 games. His 4.5 yards per carry represented a career high.

The 27-year-old LSU product was Tampa Bay's leading rusher last season, and he'll likely regain the top spot on the depth chart after re-signing. Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Kenjon Barner were the Buccaneers' only running backs under contract for 2022.

Interestingly, Fournette had posted what was viewed as a potential goodbye message to the Bucs on Instagram earlier in the offseason, but it was deleted after legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced the end of his short-lived retirement.

Tampa Bay was facing a lot of uncertainty before Brady confirmed his return. Now it's gearing up for another serious push toward a Super Bowl title.

Fournette is definitely a better fit on paper for the Buccaneers than the Patriots.

New England has two early-down backs in Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, and it re-signed third-down back James White while also bringing in do-it-all playmaker Ty Montgomery, who owns experience as both a running back and a wide receiver.

The question was whether Fournette was seeking the best fit or wanted to cash-in on last year's success after playing the last two seasons on team-friendly deals—$2 million in 2020 and $3.25 million in 2021.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Monday that Fournette started the offseason seeking a contract worth $12 million annually. Only two rushers, the Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott ($12.4 million) and Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry ($12 million), are set to make that much in 2022, per Spotrac.

It was always hard to imagine he'd get anywhere near that number, and the Bucs made the most sense once his asking price came down a bit, which it did to $8 million.

Fournette should be a high-impact player for Tampa Bay once again in 2022.