NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown said he is grateful to receive his one-year extension worth up to $6.5 million and praised Tom Brady for helping get the deal done. 

“First and foremost, I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the Buccaneers,” Brown, via his official Instagram. “It wouldn’t be possible without my brother Tom Brady, the Buccaneers organization, my teammates and of course my fans. So Let’s Go God Bless.”

Falcons

Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said first-round TE Kyle Pitts was a player they “coveted” for a long time based on his skill set and high character. 

“[We] coveted that player for a long time, his skill set, the talent is clear and what he’s going to bring on the field and he’s also a tremendous young man,” Fontenot said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN. “Every exposure, every opportunity to spend time with him and talk with him and all the research, he’s got high character, so exactly what we want to build this program on.”

Falcons HC Arthur Smith called Pitts a “unique player” and expects him to line up at “multiple spots” in their offense. 

“He’s a unique player,” Smith said. “And we’ll get him in here, get him started and let his role grow. We think we can play him in multiple spots and view him as an offensive weapon. I guess I do have a little bias toward tight ends but, really, he was the best player we felt was available and he checked every box.”

Fontenot added that it is still possible for the Falcons to add a quarterback through the draft or trade market. 

“Still a chance we could draft a quarterback,” Fontenot said. “Or, again, we could get out of the draft and there could be a trade. There are still a lot of other opportunities to acquire quarterbacks and to fill out the roster the right way.”

Saints

• Saints’ HC Sean Payton on the selection of Houston LB Payton Turner: “He’s got a lot of traits that we value. He’s a high-energy player, his prototype, his size. You couldn’t help but notice the makeup was good.” (Luke Johnson)