Bucs Gerald McCoy will turn 30 this year. Young by most people’s standards, but in football years, he is getting up there. This week in Orlando at the Pro Bowl, the “ancient one” found his age to be beneficial.

“There’s some perks to being old, I got voted as a captain, because I’m old,” McCoy said. “He(Sean Payton, NFC head coach) said we are basing it on tenured years. He said, ‘How long have you been in the league?’ and I was like, ‘Am I that guy now?’ But you have like Drew Brees, 17(years), Thomas Davis, 13, Jason Witten, 15, Andrew Whitworth, 12. And they were like, ‘Gerald?’ (I said) eight. So it is cool man, it’s great, we are having a good time.”

With age comes the frustration for having not been to the playoffs in his eight season in the NFL. McCoy is trying to use the Pro Bowl to change that in 2018.

“Man you know I am out here recruiting, I am doing the most recruiting,” McCoy said. “I don’t know what the coaches are doing upstairs right now, but I’ll tell you what Gerald is doing. I am out here recruiting. I am walking through asking who is a free agent. And if you are a free agent, come on down, we are ready for you. And I don’t care what position you play. I will take them. A lot of guys are following the money trail, so we are going to have to drop some cash man, to make this thing happen.”

When asked what type of free agents he’d like to see in Tampa Bay, McCoy cut the reporter off mid sentence.

“Mike Bennett,” McCoy said. “Aqib Talib. I want to get all the guys back together. When you(free agents) come into our building, whatever made you a champion, or whatever made you who you are, bring that. Show us what it takes to be a champion, show us what it takes to be successful. Because most of the guys we are going to bring in are going to be playoff players. Have been in the playoffs. Had success. Have rings. Been to a Super Bowl, or have been deep in the playoffs. Bring that. Show us what it takes to get there. We have to get there.”

McCoy continued to talk about the couple former teammates he mentioned earlier.

“Mike was never a practice warrior, but he was a solider – a warrior – on Sunday and that’s what you need,” McCoy said. “Mike Bennett would never kill himself in practice, but he’d die on Sundays for his brothers. Aquib was the same way. But Aquib practiced hard and brought it on Sunday.”

McCoy who holds court in the Bucs locker room once a week in the season, did the same on the practice field at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex and talked about the future, including one year from now.

“(Warren) Sapp made seven(Pro Bowls) in a row, so I am going to enjoy six, and shoot for seven. I’d like to not be able to be here next year because I am doing something else.”