NFL Notes: Buccaneers, Jets, Saints

Buccaneers

• Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Jameis Winston could actually be the Buccaneers’ fallback plan should they miss out on either Tom Brady or Philip Rivers in free agency.
• Florio admits that this could be a calculated risk by the Bucs, depending on the level of interest in him. However, Florio points out that there have been no reports of specific teams being interested in Winston up to this point, even though that could change after the franchise tag deadline.
• Reports have said that the Buccaneers are likely to franchise pass rusher Shaq Barrett, which means Winston should get an opportunity to test the open market.

Jets

Jets HC Adam Gase mentioned that there are “a lot” of wide receiver prospects available in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

“There’s a lot of them,” Gase said, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “The wide receiver group is a large group. There’s a lot of speed. There’s a lot of guys with experience. There’s a lot of guys who can do a lot of good things.”

Gase believes it is beneficial to add a receiver who can “stretch the field” with their speed. 

“Any time you can have anybody that really you throw a ball three yards and they can go 65, that’s always great to have,” Gase said. “It’s also great to have a guy who can go over the top, that can really stretch the field, cause the safety to lean one way, make sure that they have some 2-high looks. It opens up the lane for running backs. Any time you add speed to your team that’s a positive thing.”

• Jets S Jamal Adams said Sunday on the NFL Network that he appreciated Joe Douglas‘ comment about wanting to make him a “Jet for life.” in recent days: “It feels good, man. It gives me confidence going into next season, but, you know, we’ll see where everything ends.” (Rich Cimini)

Saints 

• Mike Silver reports that Saints DE Cameron Jordan told him he played the final 5 games of the season with a torn adductor muscle. Silver notes that Jordan had core muscle surgery two days after the Super Bowl and should be fully recovered by training camp.
• Larry Holder of The Athletic writes that a Drew Brees deal will happen sooner than later.
• According to Holder, Teddy Bridgewater never came up in his conversations with decision-makers at the Combine. Holder says the teams he’s heard as possible landing spots for Bridgewater have been “all over the map” including the Buccaneers, Panthers, Chargers, Patriots and Bears.
• As for the idea of the Saints drafting a quarterback, Holder mentions that it doesn’t seem like New Orleans is in a hurry to do so unless someone unexpectedly falls into their lap.
• Regarding Utah State QB Jordan Love, Holder says there doesn’t appear to be the same level of interest in him from the Saints end as has been portrayed the past few months.