Whereas the Buccaneers have been taking part in in Tampa Bay and the Jets have been taking part in in Miami on Sunday afternoon, the groups’ personnel staffers have been engaged on a commerce that despatched defensive sort out Steve McLendon to Tampa Bay. On to Tampa Bay.

McLendon didn’t fly again to New York with the Jets and as a substitute acquired in a automobile and drove on to Tampa, in response to Peter Schrager of NFL Community.

It’s uncommon for gamers to get traded on sport day, and strange for gamers to instantly hop in a automobile and drive themselves to their new groups. However that is an uncommon season, and the league’s COVID-19 protocols require newly arrived gamers to submit a number of damaging exams earlier than they’re permitted to observe and play for a brand new workforce. By attending to Tampa instantly, McLendon elevated his possibilities of getting all the things squared away in time for him to play within the Bucs’ subsequent sport, Sunday at Las Vegas.

McLendon began each sport for the Jets this season and is anticipated to have an instantaneous impression in Tampa, the place he’ll be taking part in for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, his former Jets head coach. The Buccaneers misplaced defensive sort out Vita Vea to a season-ending leg damage, they usually hope McLendon can choose up a few of the slack.

Steve McLendon drove straight to Tampa after Jets’ sport in Miami initially appeared on Professional Soccer Speak