Leonard Fournette Signs Bills Practice Squad Contract Ahead of Game vs. Bengals

Leonard Fournette is joining the third team of his NFL career.

According to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, Fournette agreed to join the Buffalo Bills' practice squad on Monday.

Fournette was on the market because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him this past offseason.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported in February that an additional $2 million would have become guaranteed on top of the $2 million that was already guaranteed on the LSU product's contract had the Buccaneers waited until after March 19 to make such a move.

Releasing him saved Tampa Bay approximately $3.5 million on the salary cap for the 2023 season.

"I asked after the season to be (released), and they respected my wishes," Fournette said, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "So no bad blood."

The 28-year-old also said Tom Brady's decision to retire played a role in his desire to leave Tampa Bay.

"Winning is everything," he said. "That's all. And in my last three years here, that's all we've done. But since my guy (Brady) left, that's why I came, so my time here was up."

Fournette spent the first three seasons of his career on the Jacksonville Jaguars after they selected him with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft.

He ran for more than 1,000 yards in two of his three years with the team and helped lead Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game as a rookie, but the AFC South club released him ahead of the 2020 campaign.

He played for Tampa Bay on one-year contracts in 2020 and 2021 before signing a three-year, $21 million deal in 2022.

The contract ended up being an overpay, as Fournette ran for 668 yards and three touchdowns on only 3.5 yards per carry last season. It didn't help that the offensive line dealt with so many injury issues, which impacted the offense as a whole and limited the available running lanes.

Still, Fournette's time with the Buccaneers certainly included plenty of success. They won the Super Bowl in 2020 in part because he ran for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the four playoff games, and he had 812 yards and eight touchdowns on a career-best 4.5 yards per carry the following season.

He even impressed at times in 2022 with career-high totals as a receiver with 73 catches for 523 yards and three touchdowns.

Fournette may be on the back end of his prime, but his proven playoff record and improvement as a receiver should help him contribute for the Broncos.

He also doesn't have to worry about being the primary option thanks to the presence of James Cook and Latavius Murray, which should keep him fresher as the season progresses. That will allow him to thrive on short-yardage plays and near the goal line.

Buffalo has a Week 9 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football.