Gerald McCoy once had to pay his teammate $250,000 in 2019 just so he could wear number 93 with the Carolina Panthers and protect his legacy.
Athletes in every sport aren't strangers to superstitious beliefs. Jason Terry wore the opposing team's shorts the night before every game for 19 years since that's what he did the night before Arizona beat Kentucky for the national title. Caron Butler chewed straws instead of gum before a game to calm his nerves. Meanwhile, Josh Allen opts to vomit before the start of every game.
When Sauce Gardner revealed a few days after he was drafted that he had to shell out $50,000 in cash to snag the number one jersey from DJ Reed, McCoy shared the enormous price tag he had to pay when he signed with the Panthers just so he could continue wearing the number he's had since he was in college:
“That 50 is cute, but what does your legacy mean to you? I've been wearing 93 since college so, when I got to the Carolina Panthers, I wanted 93. But it didn't cost me 50. It cost me 250! I wasn't going to do it, but my wife said that's your legacy,” McCoy said.
You paid HOW MUCH for #93 in Carolina, @Geraldini93⁉️ 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0Wv1w0Spd2
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) June 15, 2022
McCoy tore apart the offensive line each week dating back to his days in Oklahoma. He was the third pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his nine seasons with the team, he made the Pro Bowl in six of his first eight seasons. When he was released by the Buccaneers on May 20, 2019, it didn't take long for McCoy to find a new team.
He'd go on to sign a 1-year deal with the Panthers worth $8 million two weeks later. Upon his arrival, McCoy had to test out his negotiating skills to try and convince fellow defensive lineman Kyle Love to give up the number 93. McCoy wasn't as good as a negotiator as Gardner, but he did manage to get the number eventually. Unfortunately, it might've been the worst $250,000 he spent his entire life.
The luck of his number 93 fizzled out. He played only one season for the Panthers and then suffered a season-ending injury in two consecutive seasons before the season began which ultimately led to his retirement from the NFL on April 14, 2023.
On the other hand, Love secured one last bag. In the lone season he and McCoy were teammates, it turned out to be his last season in the league. The $250,000 he made from McCoy that day accounted for almost 5% of his career earnings, per profootballnetwork.com.
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