NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Lions, Vikings

Buccaneers

• The Buccaneers listed LB Devin White as questionable to Week 1 due to illness. (Matt Maiocco)

Falcons

An NFL executive tells Adam Schefter that Falcons WR Julio Jones‘ three-year, fully guaranteed $66 million deal is the “first legitimate step” to replicating NBA contracts in the NFL. 

“This is the first legitimate step to being NBA contracts. Julio might actually be the tipping point for the NFL to follow the NBA… Bad for clubs, great for players,” said the executive.

• Falcons signed WR Julio Jones to a three-year, $66M extension. (NFLTR)

Lions

• Lions DL Da’Shawn Hand (elbow) has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s Week 1 game at Arizona. (Tim Twentyman)

Vikings

Vikings S Harrison Smith says HC Mike Zimmer began the team’s offseason program by bringing up their poor performance in Week 17 against the Bears, which eliminated them from playoff contention. 

“It was like he held onto it from the last game, and it was like waiting for our next meeting to start months later,” Smith said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “That’s just how he’s wired.”

Smith said Zimmer quickly jumped to “where we left off” last season, which helped to “set the tone” for their offseason. 

“You get back and you’re saying what’s up to everybody and you’re happy to be back, and then you jump in and it’s like, ‘OK, this is where we left off.’ [It] just set the tone for the offseason.”

• Darren Wolfson reports that the Vikings brought in S C.J. Reavis for a workout on Saturday.