Running back Leonard Fournette made an immediate impact in his rookie year after he was selected fourth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft. Fournette established himself as one of the NFL’s best rushers as he carried the ball 268 times for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns in his first year and helped carry the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Jaguars led by as many as 10 points in the fourth, but Fournette personally learned that no lead is safe with Brady as the opponent.

Brady led the Patriots’ comeback with two touchdown passes to Danny Amendola in the fourth en route to a 24-20 win and a spot in Super Bowl LII. Fournette played for two more seasons with the Jaguars and in his last year in Jacksonville, he carried the ball 265 times for 1,152 yards and three scores.

Fournette bet on himself

In the offseason, the Jaguars waived Fournette after three years with the squad despite being a fourth overall pick. He finished his stint with the Jaguars with 2,631 yards and 17 touchdowns. In the offseason, Fournette signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for $2 million, with a maximum earning of $3.5 million from incentives. Fournette joined the Buccaneers despite knowing that he won’t be the No.

1 rusher as Tampa Bay has Ronald Jones as the main running back. After signing, Fournette was welcomed by Brady, who months earlier signed a two-year deal with the Buccaneers worth $50 million after 20 years with the Patriots, where he won six Super Bowl titles.

Fournette asked about Brady

Ahead of their Sunday’s clash against the Atlanta Falcons in their season finale, Fournette faced the media where he was asked how he feels about Brady based on his experience in the 2017 AFC Championship Game.

“I’m not going against Tom Brady,” Fournette said, per a tweet by Greg Auman of The Athletic. “He’s on my team. That’s a good thing.”

Fournette certainly made the right decision when he signed with the Buccaneers as he made it back to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

The Buccaneers currently hold the No. 5 seed in the NFC but they need a win over the Falcons to secure the spot and arrange a Wild Card date with the NFC East champion. The NFC East trophy remains up for grabs for three teams all with losing records -- Washington Football Team, New York Giants, and the Dallas Cowboys.

Super Bowl or bust for Arians

The Buccaneers made it to the postseason for the first time since 2007, but head coach Bruce Arians said the team won’t stop there. "It's Super Bowl or bust," Arians told Good Morning Football on NFL Network, adding that making it to the playoffs was huge for the Buccaneers. Per a report by Sky Sports, Arians lauded Brady for his huge impact on the team, especially when coaching younger players.

He also said that coaching Brady has been a joy and an awesome experience.
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