'Troubled' Ex Bucs LB Randy Gregory Announces Retirement

The drama surrounding former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Randy Gregory took another turn when he abruptly retired after being released by the team.

The Buccaneers signed Gregory to a one-year deal worth up to $3 million in April, but he did not report to the team training camp or attend any offseason workouts. Gregory reportedly never told anyone on the Bucs' staff about his whereabouts.

Bowles mentioned last week "can't miss what you never had" regarding Gregory and then wished him the best moving forward.

And as of Thursday, Gregory is expected to retire, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 .

Gregory was a second-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2015, and over 72 career games, he recorded 22 sacks and 117 tackles. Aside from the Cowboys, Gregory had brief stints with the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers .

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The former Nebraska product had a lot of trouble off the field in his time in the NFL and time will tell if any team will give Gregory another look as a free agent. There's no doubt Gregory can be a game-changer on the field, but his constant distraction may scare teams off.

He has also dealt with substance abuse for most of his career including four different suspensions while with the Cowboys.

He is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with the Denver Broncos and the NFL for being fined over $500k for using THC-prescribed medication for a mental illness diagnosis.