There are quite a few Tampa Bay Buccaneers players from the team's 2020 run that fans will be forever grateful for.
The Bucs, led by Tom Brady, won their second franchise championship after an 11-5 season, going unbeaten after their bye week and eventually defeating the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in a 31-9 drubbing. Plenty of players contributed to that season, but one beloved hometown player was a big part of it.
Edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, who played college football in Tampa at USF, was traded to the Bucs from the New York GIants in 2018 and would become a big producer, netting 35.5 sacks, 135 solo tackles, four forced fumbles and two interceptions during his time with Tampa Bay including the postseason — and now, he wants back in the NFL.
Pierre-Paul last played football in the NFL in 2023 as a member of the Miami Dolphins, but he wasn't signed to a team in 2024. But now, at 36 years old, he's looking to get back into the game — and he told TMZ Sports in a recent interview that he feels like he's in shape to get that done.
"I've got abs. I haven't had abs since my rookie year. So that's how hard of work I'm putting in," Pierre-Paul told TMZ Sports. "Anybody that gives me the opportunity, I'm ready to go and I'm ready to rock right now."
It would be an uphill battle for Pierre-Paul to make his return. He's bounced around practice squads since 2022, His last productive season was the 2020 Super Bowl season in Tampa Bay, where he netted 9,5 sacks — he's put up just 5.5 sacks in the next four years. The Buccaneers certainly don't have need of his services, as they signed Haason Reddick to a one-year deal and drafted David Walker in the NFL Draft to further bolster the room.
Regardless, Bucs fans are likely rooting for Pierre-Paul after all he did for the franchise, and it would be neat to see him in an NFL uniform again — especially if he is as healthy as he claims.
