Leonard Fournette Reveals Why He Signed with Buffalo Bills
Leonard Fournette found a cool opportunity in Buffalo ... in more ways than one.
The Buffalo Bills found a vintage Halloween treat in the form of Fournette, signing the Super Bowl champion and two-time 1,000-yard rusher to their practice squad this week. That transaction put Fournette back on an NFL roster after he spent the last three years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As is the case with any mid-season signing, Fournette's case faces adjustment in a constricted period of time. For example, Fournette continued to wear shorts during practice after spending the past decade in downright humid or tropical gridiron locales like Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, and Tampa.
In video from the Bills, Fournette said he regretted his shorts "a little bit toward the end (of practice)," but he has no regrets continuing his professional career in Buffalo.
"This gave me an opportunity I feel like I needed," Fournette said. "I had a couple of teams reach out to me but I really just wanted to do what's best for me. It's a fresh start. I was in the south (for) most of my career in the heat, so it's a change-up."
The Bills' championship-contending nature will only put more pressure on the hasty transition period: at the de facto midway mark of the NFL season, Buffalo (5-3) is in the thick of the AFC playoff picture and faces a formidable challenge on Sunday night in prime time against defending conference finalist Cincinnati (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).
Fournette (7) carries the ball against the Bills in a 2021 game
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Bengals (4-3) are the most recent enders of the Bills' championship dreams, having previously prevailed in the January Divisional playoff game between the two teams.
With championship expectations and pressures only raised, Fournette was only more intrigued by the Bills' offer, an invitation that became more attractive after he spoke with Buffalo-based friends like Gabe Davis and Tre'Davious White.
"I came from winning, and I'm just trying to finish it off as winning overall in my career," Fournette, a Super Bowl champion with Tampa Bay, said. "I had my ups and downs, but, overall, I'm just blessed. I spent more time with my kids, my family than usual. I haven't had a break like that since I was 17."
Fournette, the fourth overall pick of the 2017 draft, is perhaps a curious entry in the Bills' championship dreams: in Buffalo lore, Fournette is likely best known for his padded fisticuffs with Shaq Lawson during a 2018 Western New York showdown against Jacksonville, a brief bout that drew dual-ejections.
But not only has Fournette long made peace with Lawson, he's also a believer in how much Buffalo has evolved since that campaign, which was Josh Allen's first under center.
"Josh is doing a great job," Fournette noted. "The guys they brought along for the offense, also defense-wise, too, are tremendous that are going to ball all across the board."
