The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially released running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate on Friday.
Fournette, 28, signed a three-year, $21 million extension prior to the 2022 season. He rushed for 668 yards and three touchdowns and added 73 catches for 523 yards and three scores in 16 games (nine starts).
Fournette has rushed for 4,478 yards and 34 touchdowns and added 312 catches for 2,219 yards and seven scores in 79 career games (61 starts) with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buccaneers. He was selected by the Jaguars with the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of LSU.
Fournette was supplanted by then-rookie Rachaad White as the starter in Week 10. His pre-June 1 release saves a reported $3.5 million against the salary cap.
Cutting ties with Brate, 31, reportedly clears another $2 million in cap space.
An undrafted free agent out of Harvard in 2014, Brate spent parts of nine seasons with the Buccaneers.
He was limited to 20 catches for 174 yards in 11 games last season. He sustained a concussion in Week 4 and was later taken off the field on a stretcher with a neck injury in Week 7.
Brate totaled 273 catches for 2,857 yards and 33 touchdowns in 126 career games with the Buccaneers.
