NFC Notes: Kirk Cousins, Cameron Jordan, Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

• The Buccaneers signed RT Tristan Wirfs to a five-year, $140.625 million extension with $88.244 million guaranteed and $70 million in new guarantees including $52.244 million at signing. (Over The Cap)
• The guarantees are made up of a $25 million roster bonus and his 2024 and 2025 base salaries. (Over The Cap)
• If Wirfs is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year, his 2026 salary will be fully guaranteed. He will also earn a $10 million guarantee on his 2027 salary if he’s on the roster on the fifth day of the 2027 league year. (Over The Cap)
• Finally, Wirfs has a $2.5 million roster bonus due on the sixth day of the 2029 league year. (Over The Cap)

Falcons

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins knows there’s a lot of optimism about the offense in Atlanta with his arrival to a unit that already looked strong on paper. He says all the hype does absolutely nothing for them once Week 1 comes around, though. 

“I’m very aware of the fact that perception right now is that our offense is going to be really, really great, that we’ve got all these great players. I just think that’s only perception,” Cousins said via the Athletic’s Josh Kendall. “It’s our job to make it reality. I don’t really care much about perception. I don’t care at all. I care about reality and making sure that’s actually what it is this fall, and until we go do it, I don’t actually feel any assurance.”

“At times, we both walk around the building with a healthy state of rage, if that makes sense, like, ‘We have to be better. How can we be better?’” Cousins added about him and WR Darnell Mooney. “You try to not only have that yourself but inflict it on other people in a healthy way. I do think it’s a talking point.”

• Kendall notes WR Ray-Ray McCloud has a clear hold on the No. 3 receiver job ahead of WR Rondale Moore.
• Falcons OLB Arnold Ebiketie has mostly worked as a rotational pass rush with the second string, per Kendall. He adds Ebiketie is smaller than the current defensive staff prefers for edge rushers. 
• Falcons TE Charlie Woerner, signed as a free agent from the 49ers this offseason, told Kendall there’s about a 70 percent crossover from San Francisco’s offense to what Atlanta is running now. 
• Teammate and fellow TE Ross Dwelley, also a new arrival from San Francisco this offseason, added: “It feels really familiar. There is a lot of carryover between the Niners and here. They kind of liked our scheme that we would run. Me and Charlie would be on the move a lot, get in motion across the ball at full speed. I think they liked that.”

Saints

The Saints have a core of defensive stars in their low to mid-30s running out of time in the league. New Orleans DE Cameron Jordan is trying to stay in the moment as long as he’s healthy and give the game as much as possible. 

“Surgery sucks,” Jordan said, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “Being hurt for the last seven games of the year sucks. And at the same time, it puts a lot of dip on your chip. All I can think about is, the moment I’m healthy, what can I do? Whatever juice I can squeeze out of this, let’s do that.”

“I have right now. This is all that I have. I’m squeezing the juice. I’m giving all that I have, every day, every play. Because … in football, you never know when it could be over.”