Last week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians couched comments about defensive tackle Gerald McCoy by saying "if he's here," putting some question into the veteran's future with the franchise.
McCoy is not there as the team opens offseason workouts.
The 31-year-old defensive tackle did not report to the first day of the Bucs' workouts on Monday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
All sessions are voluntary at this stage; McCoy cannot be fined for skipping.
As a team with a new coach, Tampa is eligible to begin offseason workouts a fortnight before the rest of the league can with returning head coaches.
When assessing McCoy's play last week from the NFL's Annual League Meeting in Arizona, Arians noted the defensive tackle's decline in play.
"He's not as disruptive as he was four years ago. He's still a good player," Arians said at the time. "If he's here, he's our starting three-[technique]. No doubt about that. Would I like to see him more disruptive? Yeah. We can use him. If he's here, he's going to be used a bunch. It's just a matter of what happens."
McCoy's absence from voluntary workouts could be nothing for a player entering his 10th NFL season. Given it comes in the aftermath of Arians' critique, it's possible there could be more building toward an untenable situation.
