Giovani Bernard Already Feels a 'Difference' Inside Buccaneers' Facilities

Bernard signed a one-year deal worth just over $1 million

Author:
All Bengals Staff
Publish date:
Apr 14, 2021 5:19 PM EDT

CINCINNATI — Former Bengals running back Giovani Bernard officially signed his one-year contract with the Buccaneers on Wednesday. He met with the media shortly after the news became official.

"You can already feel the difference," Bernard said. "I'm just really excited to join this organization, just to be here. As soon as I walked into the building, whether that's facility staff, or whether that's the cooks, or whether that's the guys in the training room, to the, just to everybody here, you can tell there's an excitement still buzzing."

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady called Bernard when he became a free agent. The seven-time Super Bowl Champion did what he could to make sure the former Bengals second-rounder took his talents to Tampa Bay.

"Even with just the little phone calls I was able to have, it just felt like these guys are still trying to go do something great, and they've already won it," Bernard said. "That to me was just a little bit of a difference from the other teams that I was talking with."

The Chiefs were one of multiple teams that were interested in Bernard.

The 29-year-old appeared in 115 games (30 starts) in his eight seasons with the Bengals, finishing with 3,697 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. He has the most receptions by a running back in Bengals' history (342).

Bernard was a team first type of guy during his eight seasons with the Bengals. That will continue in Tampa Bay.

"When I did speak with the coaches throughout this free agency, it wasn't so much the role that I would take on that attracted me," Bernard said. "It wasn't like, 'Hey, we're going to have you do this and do that,' or whatever, this and this and that. I think it's, for me, it was always about the culture that the coach was trying to build, and the players in the locker room."

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