NFC South Rumors: Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

Peter King mentioned the Buccaneers as being a possible “sleeping giant” in the running for Tom Brady this offseason. 

“The one that I believe is the sleeping giant in this is Tampa Bay,” King said on WEEI’s Dale & Keefe Thursday, via the New York Post. “And when I say that, if Jameis Winston is realistic with what his contract demands/requests, whatever they are, in my opinion he will be the quarterback of the Bucs next year. But, I don’t know that. I am hearing some things out of Tampa that he might be, and his agents might want a little bit more money than the Bucs want to pay. And we’ll see if that pans out. We’ll definitely see.”

• An NFL executive tells ESPN that he can’t see how the Buccaneers and justify paying Jameis Winston after his up and down 2019 season: “I don’t see how you can pay him. It would have to be pretty reasonably low if they did. You can’t give him big money based on the way he played. He won’t have a market.“

Panthers

• Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reports that the Panthers want to see QB Cam Newton work out on the field in March when healthy so they can get a full evaluation of him.
• A team source tells ESPN: “They want to at least give him a shot, see where he’s at. Then we’ll see what happens.”
• While the Panthers could pick up $19.1 million of cap room, ESPN says the Panthers like the 2021 quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields better than the rest of the 2020 crop.
• Graziano and Fowler add that allowing Newton to play out the final year of his contract is not a far-fetched scenario, even if Carolina drafts a quarterback.
• According to Jourdan Rodrigue, the Panthers won’t retain strength coach Joe “House” Kenn.

Saints

• According to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, the two most plausible outcomes regarding Drew Brees and the Saints are: 1) Brees retires and 2) Brees signs a one-year deal with the Saints and helps prepare Taysom Hill to take over as the team’s starter.
• Regarding the possibility of Brees retiring, ESPN says “the rumblings are fairly strong.”
• Sources have stressed that Brees and Hill are close. If the Saints went with the second option, the expectation is that they would use first-round restricted tender on Hill.
• Sources have told ESPN that if Bress does play again, it would only be for New Orleans.
• Brees confirmed that he’s willing to take a backseat to Hill: “If I’m back, and Taysom’s along side me, call the plays that puts us in the best position to win. If that means Taysom Hill is taking 30 snaps a game, 25 snaps a game, so be it. I’m all for that.” (Chris Simms)