NFC South Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

• Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, citing sources with knowledge of the situation, reports that Tom Brady was able to finalize a deal with the Buccaneers “without much if any” negotiating.
• Florio writes that Brady “essentially proposed” the financial terms and other items of demands to the Buccaneers and Chargers, which both teams agreed to.
• Florio mentions that it is also possible that Brady presented his terms to other teams, but it ultimately came down to Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.
• According to Florio, Brady requested payment “in the $30 million range” over the next two years but did not make any “grandiose requests” like personnel authority and control over the offenses’ development and implementation.
• In the end, Florio writes that Brady ultimately chose the Buccaneers for both business and professional reasons given there is no income tax in Florida while enabling him to stay close to his 12-year old son on the East Coast.
• Tampa Bay also places Brady and his family closer to frequent destinations like Miami, Costa Rica, and South America. 

• The Athletic’s Greg Auman mentions former Patriots WR Phillip Dorsett as an option for a speedy third receiver that would have familiarity with Brady. 
• NFL Media’s Jim Trotter said Brady’s camp gave both interested teams, the Chargers and Buccaneers, his financial terms, which were two years, $60 million guaranteed.
• From there, Brady narrowed it down to the Buccaneers because of family ties that made staying on the East Coast important. 

Falcons

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff released the following statement about the release of CB Desmond Trufant, per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. 

“Desmond has been an integral part of our team’s success over the last seven years. We owe him a great deal of gratitude for the talent he’s provided and the heart and soul he’s poured into our organization, on and off the field.”

Panthers

• ESPN’s David Newton notes the Panthers will save $5.5 million in cap space by designating S Eric Reid as a June 1 cut.
• The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue writes new Panthers S Juston Burris is expected to step into the starting lineup and the new staff had targeted him and S Tre Boston as their starting duo headed into free agency. 
• The Panthers were one of the teams to kick the tires on CB Trae Waynes before he signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bengals. (Darren Wolfson)
• Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater‘s three-year, $63 million deal includes a $15 million signing bonus, $8 million 2020 base, $17 million 2021 base and $20 million 2022 base. Bridgewater also has up to $750,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $250,000 workout bonuses in each year. (Albert Breer)

Saints

• According to Nick Underhill, Saints LB Kiko Alonso‘s restructured deal includes a $1.7 million base salary, $1.45 million roster bonus and $4.7 million in incentives dependant on playing time and being active for 10 or more games.