A well-known outside linebacker has joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.
the Buccaneers revealed via their official X account that they have reached an agreement with eight-year veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory.
Following his trade to the Denver Broncos in exchange for two late-round draft selections in 2024, Gregory began 2023 with the Broncos and ended it with the San Francisco 49ers.
Ever since the Dallas Cowboys drafted Gregory out of Nebraska in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft, he had a well-documented history of issues off the field.
Gregory was first suspended by the NFL for four games in February 2016 for breaking the league’s drug usage policy. In September of the same year, he received a 10-game sentence.
Although Gregory participated in the last two games of the regular season, he was suspended for the entirety of the 2017 campaign and the 2016 postseason after failing a second drug test. After playing in 2018, Gregory was suspended indefinitely in February 2019 for breaking the league’s drug policy, and he did not play in 2019 as a whole.
After rejoining the Cowboys in 2020, Gregory had a breakthrough season in 2021, with a career-high six sacks and three forced fumbles.
Gregory received the salary of a lifetime in March 2022 when he signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Denver Broncos, which guaranteed him $28 million.
Due to a knee ailment, Gregory only appeared in six games for the Broncos in 2022. Before being moved to San Francisco, he appeared in four games with Denver in 2023. There, he participated in 10 regular-season games and three postseason contests, losing in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
Outside linebacker and two-time Super Bowl winner Shaquil Barrett was cut by the Buccaneers on March 13; on March 18, he agreed to a free-agent deal with the Miami Dolphins.
“Griffith’s continued NFL career is a testament to his dedication, given his four 2010s substance-abuse suspensions,” ProFootballRumors.com’s Sam Robinson stated.
Additionally, the NFL is shifting its attitude on recreational drugs to one that is more liberal. Although this phase of his career is behind him, the former second-round choice must demonstrate that he can stay healthy.
