The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released defensive lineman Gerald McCoy earlier this week, and while it must be rough to have to change homes after being with one team for the first nine years of your career, the Buccaneers may have done McCoy a favor.

McCoy, who visited with the Cleveland Browns on Friday and is scheduled to meet with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, is at a point in his career where he wants to play for a contender:

“I want to win,” McCoy told ESPN's Josina Anderson. “I'm not worried about where I'm living. Wherever I got to go to win. … Everybody's open.”

The 31-year-old is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played in 14 games and registered 28 tackles and six sacks. While he was still productive, it marked the first time he did not make the Pro Bowl since his second year in the league back in 2011.

New Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians questioned McCoy's desire earlier this offseason, and new Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles dodged questions about whether or not he wants McCoy on his defense.

McCoy, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was originally selected by the Bucs with the third overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft.

He made his first Pro Bowl in 2012 and then went on to make six straight Pro Bowl appearances, including a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2013 when he racked up 50 tackles, 9.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and four passes defended.

McCoy has totaled 54.5 sacks overall throughout his NFL tenure.