Buccaneers release outside linebacker amid bizarre circumstances

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and disgruntled pass rusher Randy Gregory reached an agreement in which the team released the outside linebacker, the team announced Saturday. Gregory’s release brings an end to a bizarre saga between the two sides.

Gregory signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers in the offseason worth up to $5 million. The deal had a base salary of $3 million , and could escalate to $5 million if Gregory hit his set of incentives. Despite signing the contract, Gregory was a no-show when it came time for players to report to training camp.

All told, Gregory missed 24 days of training camp, three mandatory minicamp practices before the beginning of training camp, and the team’s first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The two sides reached an agreement on Gregory’s release prior to the team’s second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Further compounding the situation – and potentially contributing to Gregory’s absence from Buccaneers’ camp – is the lawsuit Gregory currently has against the NFL and his former club, the Denver Broncos . In the suit, Gregory alleges discrimination, as he claims both the league and the Broncos refused him use of a drug, Dronabinol, prescribed to treat social anxiety and post-traumatic stress.

Ultimately, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and the team were never given a concrete reason for Gregory not reporting to camp, with Bowles saying: "I'll never find out, but I wish him the best and we'll move on from there…. Can't miss what you never had.”