NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Kyle Trask, Falcons, Christian McCaffrey, Panthers

Buccaneers

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says they’re “very excited” about QB Kyle Trask and the opportunity ahead of him to be their starter. 

“Yeah, we’re very excited about Kyle. We’re very excited about him getting the opportunity to be the starter – we’d be very comfortable with that. [We’re] excited – I’ve used that word already but I really am – for him to get a chance to be with the starters in the offseason, starters in training camp, starters in the preseason, which he’s never done. He was a successful quarterback in the SEC – I mean, wildly successful. We took him in the second round for a reason – we didn’t take him in the second round just to be a third-string quarterback. Now, it has yet to be seen what he turns out to be, but we’re confident that it’s going to be very good,” Licht said. 

“[H]e can throw the ball very well. He’s changed his body a little bit by just being in the NFL with our strength and conditioning staff to where he looks more athletic than he did, to me, than he did in college. He can get out of trouble in the pocket. He’s accurate, he’s smart, he works hard – he’s got all the traits that you’re looking for in a quarterback.”

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says the Buccaneers have discussed a switch to left tackle with starting RT Tristan Wirfs and the early belief is Wirfs would be open to the move. 
• Veteran Buccaneers LT Donovan Smith has one year remaining on his deal and has a $17.9 million cap hit in 2023, so his future is up in the air. 
• Fowler adds the Buccaneers are one of the teams that comes up most often as a potential landing spot for Rams QB Baker Mayfield. Tampa Bay has also been connected to Seahawks QB Drew Lock, as they’re expected to add a veteran this offseason. 
• Kentucky QB Will Levis had a formal interview with the Buccaneers at the Combine. (Ryan McDowell)
• The Buccaneers had a formal Combine interview with Louisville DE YaYa Diaby. (Ryan Fowler)

Falcons

Falcons HC Arthur Smith said recently that while they’re not naming a starting quarterback at this point, they are “very excited” about Desmond Ridder. 

“We’re not naming any starters right now,” Smith said, via AtlantaFalcons.com. “There are a lot of things that can happen. We’re very excited about Des, no different than we are about Tyler Allgeier and Drake London and the improvements they’ve made, and guys who are currently on our roster. As always, all options are on the table. Anything that we can do to improve this team and help us win — and to ultimately win championships — that’s what we’re looking for.”

• Texans RB Roschon Johnson had a formal interview at the Combine with the Falcons. (Ryan McDowell)
• Clemson OL Jordan McFadden highlighted his meeting with the Falcons at the Shrine Bowl as one of his interviews that stood out to him. (Justin Melo)
• The Falcons held a formal Combine interview with Auburn RB Tank Bigsby. (Daniel Flick)
• Clemson DE Myles Murphy had a formal Combine interview with the Falcons. (Flick)

Panthers

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey admitted that he never thought the Panthers would trade him and revealed his thoughts and feelings on the deal.

“For me, I never thought I’d get traded. I thought I was a Panther forever,” McCaffrey said on Bussin’ With the Boys. “I’m like, ‘I bought a house there, this is home.’ And I’d heard the rumors in the offseason. So, obviously, I called the GM [Scott Fitterer] I’m like, ‘Hey, man, I just need to hear it from you. Any truth?’ And he was super honest. He’s like, ‘Look, absolutely not. We don’t wanna do this. But, we’ll listen to everything.”

“It’s so weird,” McCaffrey added. “It’s a weird deal because there are so many emotions, and the first emotion is probably anger. Like, ‘Man, you guys don’t want me anymore.’ Like, that’s really what it is. You can call it what it is. ‘Well, they got a lot for you.’ It’s like, nah — you think you’re better off without me. That’s what it is.”

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler note the Panthers are still lurking in the running for former Raiders QB Derek Carr and have a follow-up call with him early this week, though they’re also heavily considering their options in the draft. 
• Graziano writes that several teams he talked to in Indianapolis expect the Panthers to aggressively pursue a trade up in the draft. 
• The Jets and Saints remain the frontrunners for Carr depending on how the dominoes fall but Graziano and Fowler add two other teams have touched base with Carr’s camp in recent weeks. 
• UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet had a formal interview at the Combine with the Panthers. (Ryan McDowell)
• Iowa TE Sam LaPorta had a formal Combine interview with a bunch of teams, including the Panthers. (Tom Downey)