Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggled with their run game in the 2022 season. And that showed in the overall performance of the team’s offense. They had just one decent running option for the season in Leonard Fournette. And they plan to release him into free agency this offseason.

Amid the news of his release, the real reason for Fournette leaving the Buccaneers has come forth. But the decision, that may be a shock to many fans, will surely help in starting a much-needed rebuild at the Raymond James Stadium.

The real reason for the Leonard Fournette exit

According to NFL insider Nick Stroud, the decision of letting Leonard Fournette exit the Buccaneers goes back to the running back himself. He requested the franchise to release him, and they obliged. Fournette also clarified that there are no hard feelings regarding his exit.

“I asked after the season to be (released) and they respected my wishes. So, no bad blood. Winning is everything. That’s all,” Fournette told Stroud. 

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Fournette also revealed the real reason he wanted to leave the team. And it is none other than Tom Brady.

“And 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,” the running back added.

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Brady retired from pro football at the end of the 2022 NFL season earlier in February. And now, the Buccaneers are also losing Fournette due to that. The Brady domino effect has started. The RB formed a vital part of the offense led by Brady and his struggles this season led to the overall downfall of the team.

The 2022 struggles

The Buccaneers running game struggled to take off the entire 2022 season. And Leonard Fournette was no exception. The running back posted just 668 rushing yards in the regular season and a dismal 11 in the playoff clash with the Dallas Cowboys. And that resulted in an unprecedented slump of form for QB Tom Brady.

As the running game did not work, it put more pressure on Brady to pass the game. And thus, the Buccaneers offense became a bit unidimensional. Brady had to pass at almost every down. The opposing defenses picked up on that easily. Thus came the struggles that the fans saw the Buccaneers offense go through.

Where will Fournette land after he enters free agency? What does the future hold for him?

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