The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released former first round pick Vernon Hargreaves III, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Buccaneers released former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 12, 2019
Hargreaves was taken #11 overall by the Bucs in the 2016 draft out of the University of Florida.
The cornerback was benched in Sunday's game against the Cardinals for what coach Bruce Arians called a lack of hustle, but later returned.
The Bucs benched former first-round cornerback Vernon Hargreaves for perceived lack of effort (Arians also sat him during the first OTAs for “not being mentally ready to practice”) https://t.co/ofytiyK5mB
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) November 11, 2019
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Hargreaves was part of a secondary that allowed the most pass yards per game in the NFL at 298.9.
GM Jason Licht released the following statement on Hargreaves:
"After thoughtful consideration over the past few weeks, Coach Arians and I came to the conclusion that we needed to make this change. Decisions such as this are always difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our team to part ways with Vernon at this time and allow him to explore other opportunities. We are disappointed that it did not work out here for Vernon and we wish him continued success moving forward."
The Bucs will host the New Orleans Saints Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
