Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has been mentioned as a candidate for multiple head-coaching vacancies this offseason. If he gets hired, players may want to play on his team for one specific reason: Contract incentives.
That’s the word from former Buccaneers running back LeSean Mccoy, who said on the I Am Athlete podcast that in McCoy’s 12-year NFL career, the only coach he ever saw make a specific point of helping players hit their contract incentives was Leftwich.
“That’s the first team I ever played on where Byron Leftwich . . . in like Week 13 or 14, he said, ‘Anyone got any incentives in your contract? If you do, let me know, I’ll try to get you your paper, because I’m all about that,’” McCoy recalled.
Leftwich said late in the 2020 season that he wanted receiver Mike Evans to get 1,000 receiving yards, and McCoy remembered that a year later, saying that Leftwich made a specific point of calling plays for Evans because he knew how much the 1,000-yard mark meant to him.
“We played Detroit, the year was over for real, we’re good, playoff berth and all that. Mike’s out there trying to get 1,000 yards. I say I love this type of coach. I respect it,” McCoy said.
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has also made a point of getting the ball to Rob Gronkowski this season and Antonio Brown last season to help them reach their contract incentives, and McCoy said head coach Bruce Arians approves of it. Keeping good players happy has been part of building a winning culture in Tampa Bay.
