leonard-fournette-1400.jpg

Leonard Fournette never envisioned he would actually be cut from any team, especially considering he was a dominant player throughout his football career who used his talent to become a top-five pick in the NFL Draft. Once thought of as a franchise pillar in Jacksonville, Fournette was released from the Jaguars heading into his fourth season. 

Actually getting cut took its toll on Fournette, which lingered throughout his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

"I think when I got cut, it kind of just set me back to what I used to do," Fournette said on the Jalen and Jacoby Show, via Joe Bucs Fan. "You know, I had to get my rhythm back. It was bothering me all through the season when I got signed by the Buccaneers. Every day, I'm like, 'Damn, I really got cut.' So it was bothering me, too. So I had to just get my mind right, get adjusted. I was still new here, too."

Fournette had to adjust to his new role with Tampa Bay. No longer the featured back with his new team, Fournette had just 26 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns through six games -- inactive for two of them and not recording a carry in three consecutive games. He finished the regular season with 97 carries for 367 yards and six touchdowns, while recording 36 catches for 233 yards. 

A driving force behind Tampa Bay's Super Bowl run, Fournette finished with 64 carries for 300 yards and three touchdowns while also recording 18 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown. His four postseason touchdowns tied Mike Alstott for the most in Buccaneers franchise history. His 300 rushing yards are the second-most in a single postseason in franchise history. 

Fournette played his way into another contract with the Buccaneers -- and possibility the starting job in 2021. The motivation from getting cut last season could be enough for a player of Fournette's talent to become the primary ball-carrier in Tampa Bay.