Buccaneers

Amid talks of a new contract extension for Buccaneers veteran QB Baker Mayfield, GM Jason Licht made it clear that the team wants to keep Mayfield long-term.

“We’ve had some discussions and we’ll continue to have some internal discussions and see, and try to bring this to closure one way or another,” Licht said in an interview with JP Peterson of FanStreamSports.com. “But no one wants to see Baker go anywhere, and no one’s worried about how Baker’s mindset is going to be. I’ve had conversations with him about that. He’s all about wanting to win. So he’s in a good place.”

“I respect Baker,” Licht added. “He’s free to say whatever he wants to say. And that’s the way he’s wired and I have nothing but love for Baker. I’ll keep all that stuff internal; I never use the media for [talking about negotiations].”

Panthers

• Panthers WR Xavier Legette feels he can’t have another year like last year, where he had too many mishaps. (Joe Person)
• Legette mentioned he’s tried to “bulletproof” his hamstrings because of the persistent issues he’s dealt with in the past. (Person)
• Legette also said he’s lost around seven to nine pounds and is down to 221. (Person)

Panthers

Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks played just three games in his first two years after his second ACL tear last year. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe gave some insight into how Carolina views him, saying they were okay letting RB Rico Dowdle walk because of their confidence in Brooks when healthy.

“From what I understand, they may ease him in early on in camp and during the season. But the hope is, if he can go full-go, he could be a guy that defines this offense,” Wolfe said, via The Insiders podcast. “When they were at their best, Rico Dowdle was playing really well. They let Rico Dowdle go, in part, because they felt Jonathon Brooks was ready to be the guy in this backfield.”