Gerald McCoy may be playing for a division rival in the Carolina Panthers. However, that doesn't stop him from giving Jameis Winston some words of encouragement ahead of their Week 2 fight.

In a show of camaraderie with his former quarterback, he revealed that he told his QB to focus on his game and zone out the naysayers. It was a terrific show of support from the former Buccaneer.

He shared with Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud the words he told his former QB.

“I texted Jameis and told him, keep his head up. Media has been trying to tear him down. People are saying, “Ah, same old Jameis.' All this stuff. I just told him, “Keep your head up. It’s the next game.' Not this game. Skip this game and go to the next one. Play bad in this one and then fix it.

“I told him, “Keep your head up. Don’t worry about what they said. We all have bad games.”

Winston didn't hesitate in sharing his respect for his former defensive tackle in a recent presser.

McCoy has also revealed his desire to retire with the Buccaneers.

“I’m going to retire a Buc. I can tell you that now,” McCoy told reporters in Charlotte Tuesday. “Yeah. What do they do? One day contracts? Ten hour contracts? Whatever. I don’t know what it’s called. I’m going to retire (as) a Buc.”

Plenty of Bucs fans and pundits are getting frustrated with Winston, who shares Cam Newton's playing style. The way his performance has dropped last year to 2992 caused dissatisfaction with the team's fans.

Fortunately for him, McCoy has his back. They will definitely have a kind exchange when the two meet on the field.