NFC Notes: Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Dan Morgan, Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

• FOX Sports’ Greg Auman looked ahead to the Buccaneers’ impending free agents and tried to estimate their value. He thinks S Antoine Winfield Jr. will look for a deal worth more than the $16 million per year the Falcons gave S Jessie Bates this past offseason. The franchise tag at $17 million in 2024 is also an option for Winfield, per Auman. 
• Auman says it’s a little tricky to figure out a value for Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield on an extension but Seahawks QB Geno Smith‘s three-year, $75 million deal is an interesting comparison. He adds Mayfield has seemingly indicated a willingness to take a little less to stay in Tampa.
• As far as WR Mike Evans, Auman says the Bucs will likely need to pay up to keep him with something in the neighborhood of three years and $70 million a possibility. He points out because of the void years and restructures Tampa Bay has done in the past with Evans, they could actually have him count for less on the cap in 2024 if they structure an extension a certain way than if they just let him walk. 
• Auman notes if Buccaneers LB Lavonte David wants to keep playing, he could be brought back on a deal similar to the one-year, $4.5 million contract he signed this offseason. He does not expect LB Devin White to be back after seeing his snaps reduced. 
• Auman lists OLB Shaq Barrett, C Ryan Jensen and WR Russell Gage as potential cuts to free up cap space, though they’d have to be June 1 cuts for Barrett and Jensen.
• Later this summer, he adds an extension for LT Tristan Wirfs will be one of the team’s top priorities. 

Panthers

Retired Panthers TE and current broadcaster Greg Olsen had high praise of new GM Dan Morgan, calling the former NFL linebacker a highly respected and intelligent front office member. 

“You remove the playing days and you remove the Mike linebacker that wanted to rip your face off, Dan is a really intelligent guy,” Olsen said, via PanthersWire. “Cut his teeth through Seattle, then he went to Buffalo for a little bit before he came to Carolina. He’s a really highly respected guy. He’s very intelligent. I think he uses a lot of his playing days—lessons learned, now he’s carried it into the front office as he’s made his journey now to this position.”

Olsen thinks Morgan is a great talent evaluator and is hopeful he will be successful in Carolina. 

“This dude is like highly intelligent, great communicator, great evaluator of talent,” Olsen said. “Listen, and I want them to do well. I live here, I want my kids to cheer for the home team. I want them to succeed, and hopefully Dan does that.”

Saints

• ESPN’s Katherine Terrell notes Saints CB Marshon Lattimore‘s reworked contract has a salary de-escalator of up to $250,000 based on the amount of the offseason workout program he attends.
• Nick Underhill reports the Saints interviewed OC Shane Waldron before he was hired by the Bears.
• In his final projection of the 2024 compensatory picks, Over The Cap’s Nick Korte has the Saints getting a fourth and two fifth-round picks for the loss of DT David Onyemata, DE Marcus Davenport and LB Kaden Elliss.