There was a time this offseason when there was a lot of uncertainty for the Bucs. After Tom Brady announced his retirement in February, it felt like a foregone conclusion that some of the team’s pending free agents would end up elsewhere.

One of those pending free agents was running back Leonard Fournette. The man who was so key in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run — as well as its success last season — was bound to find a big contract elsewhere. After all, the Bucs couldn’t justifiably bring him back when they had so many other priority free agents. But then, when Brady announced his return just 40 days after his retirement began, everything changed again.

The Bucs, realizing their Super Bowl window was open for another year, brought everyone back. That includes Fournette, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal a little more than a week after Brady’s announcement.

Fournette was still in the process of figuring out his future when his quarterback of the last two years made his decision. In fact, he was visiting with Brady’s former team and weighing the possibility of becoming a New England Patriot.

“I was just shopping around, man, just seeing what best fits me,” Fournette said Tuesday. “When [Brady] signed back, he called me and was like ‘Man, what’s your ass doing up there, man?’ I’m like, ‘I’m trying to figure some things out.’ He signed back and it was a no-brainer. You know, why wouldn’t I go back [to Tampa]?”

What Makes Fournette’s Return A No-Brainer?

It’s no surprise to anyone that Fournette would want to keep playing with Brady. Of course, Brady was one of the main reasons — if not the reason — the former Jacksonville Jaguar signed with Tampa Bay in 2020.

Fournette didn’t catch on all that quickly with the Bucs. But a late-season chat with then-head coach Bruce Arians got his mind right. The rest is history. With an injury to Ronald Jones II, Fournette stepped in and stepped up. He was a hero of the playoffs, properly earning the nicknames of “Playoff Lenny” and later “Lombardi Lenny.”

Then, with Jones largely a non-factor in 2021, Fournette assumed the role of a three-down back in the Bucs’ offense. He posted 812 yards on 180 carries (4.5 avg.) and eight touchdowns on the ground. But his contributions in the passing game were the big key to him staying on the field, as he caught 69 passes for 454 yards (6.6 avg.) and two more scores.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: USA Today

Fournette has an established connection with Brady. It was on full display last year, as the big running back often became an outlet for Brady when he was under pressure or when nothing else was open. The relationship between the two has given Fournette an ability to ad-lib, which he admits can sometimes get him into trouble. But that relationship and understanding between the two allows him to make plays out of the backfield.

“I guess the bond we have over the years, just knowing him and knowing each other,” Fournette said. “It also comes from, we’ve been practicing, throwing the ball, going over a lot of things. It comes naturally in the game when it’s unexpected.”

Fournette Not Surprised About Brady’s Return From Retirement

Everyone seems to have had a different read on Brady’s brief retirement. Ask any player or coach and you’re likely to get a different opinion, whether they were surprised to see Brady step back out of retirement or if they knew he would all along.

Count Fournette among those who always believed the seven-time Super Bowl champion would ultimately come back for his 23rd NFL season.

“I kind of knew. Because I told him prior to, I want to say two days after the [Rams] game, I’m like ‘T, we can’t go out like that.’ And he agreed with me. We left too many mistakes on the field that kind of messed us up and we were playing catch up the whole game,” Fournette said. “I think as a champion, I knew he wouldn’t want to go out like that for his legacy.”