NFC Notes: Alvin Kamara, Randy Gregory, Buccaneers, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles isn’t setting low expectations for Tampa Bay this coming season. The Bucs have won the NFC South three straight years despite low expectations last offseason and coming into this year. Bowles isn’t having it. 

“The expectations for us shouldn’t be just the division. It’s got to be the Super Bowl. We won the division the last two years,” Bowles said in a speech to the team. “Our expectation has got to be how we can be great.”

• Bowles addressed the absence of OLB Randy Gregory, who has had minimal contact with the team since signing and is not at camp: “He’s not here. I’ll talk about the guys who are here. We’ll deal with that internally.” (Ian Rapoport)

Saints

• Saints RB Kendre Miller left practice with a hamstring injury. Allen had blunt words for the second-year back: “That’s a player that’s going to have to figure out how to stay healthy because it’s hard to make the team from the training room.” (Katherine Terrell)
• Saints RB Alvin Kamara said he didn’t really consider holding out from training camp in his pursuit of a new contract: “I’m not going to give up money, I’m trying to get some money.” (Terrell)
• After missing seven games to injury last year and needing offseason surgery, Saints DE Cameron Jordan says he’s healthy. (Michael Triplett)

Alvin Kamara

Saints RB Alvin Kamara said he never thought about sitting out of training camp and doesn’t want to leave money on the table.

“I ain’t stupid. I ain’t gonna give the money up,” Kamara said, via Around The NFL. “I’m trying to get some money, right? I was gonna be here. It’s no one that has a jersey on, I wouldn’t even blame any coaches [with] what’s going on with contract issues right now. This happens all across the league. It’s happened here. It’s happened everywhere. People trying to get contracts, trying to get paid. I’ll be a fool to spite my teammates because of a dispute I’m having with upstairs. I wouldn’t even call it a dispute. We’re just having conversations about compensation. … I’m not that guy. I’m for the team. So I’m here, I’m doing what I’ve got to do. I’m working.”

Kamara added that his early departure from minicamp earlier this Summer had to do with his contract.

“Trying to get a contract done, and it just ain’t been nothing happening,” he said. “Ain’t been no real conversations or, I would say, worthy conversations of contract. So that last day was just me saying… I think there was a misconception about ‘Oh well, Alvin didn’t say anything about a contract,’ which I never do really. It’s just you know it’s time. We’ve been talking about it a little bit. It hasn’t been anything really meaningful. It’s been kinda one side where they at, and I’m kinda like, ‘Eh, nah.’ So I went to the crib.”

Kamara added that he wants to be a Saint for life.

“I’ve said it before: I want to be a Saint,” he added. “You know what I’m saying? I want to retire here. If I gotta play football somewhere else, I’ll probably be somewhere with my feet kicked up in Africa somewhere, or something like that.”

Kamara has no intention of sitting out if he doesn’t receive a new contract, however.

“I’m here, I’m playing,” Kamara said when asked if he’d play this season without a new deal. “I planned on playing. If there’s no commitment to years after this, then s—, I mean, I feel like y’all pay attention to football more than me, y’all know what that mean.“