Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Which free-agent signings will make the biggest impact in the NFC South this upcoming season? We have one pick for each of the division’s four teams.
Which NFC South free-agent additions will prove to be the biggest difference makers in 2023? Well, let’s just say our managing editors played it safe.
You’ll catch that drift below, with one pick for each of the division’s four squads.
Our NFL South managing editors highlighted four second-year players who are primed for breakouts this season.
Which NFC South sophomores are set to establish themselves this upcoming season?
Join in with us, River Wells of Bucs Wire, Matt Urben of Falcons Wire and John Sigler of Saints Wire as we pick four 2023 breakout candidates from the division.
Now that the dust from the annual calling of names has settled, our managing editors have handed out 2023 draft grades for each NFC South squad.
Did the NFC South squads ace their respective 2023 drafts?
We asked our managing editors—River Wells of Bucs Wire, Matt Urben of Falcons Wire and John Sigler of Saints Wire—to help hand out grades for their teams.
Which NFC South rookie will make his presence felt most in 2023? Our managing editors have made their picks.
Which NFC South rookie will have the biggest impact in 2023? Well, you may know our answer, but let’s hash it out with our fellow managing editors.
Join us and our pals—River Wells of Bucs Wire, Matt Urben of Falcons Wire and John Sigler of Saints Wire—as we make our picks.
In the first installment of a 10-part series, our NFC South managing editors set their expectations for each of the division’s teams in 2023.
The NFC South returned to its 2014 form this past season. (For those who aren’t exactly acquainted with the “NFSW South,” yeah, it’s not good.)
An 8-9 record, one mustered up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was good enough to take the division’s 2022 crown. Behind them were the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons—all of whom finished at 7-10.
So, will this year be different? Join us in our Wire Network roundtable—featuring managing editors Matt Urben (Falcons Wire), John Sigler (Saints Wire) and River Wells (Bucs Wire)—as we set our realistic expectations for each team in 2023.
NFL.com contributing columnist Adam Schein believes the worst group of starting quarterbacks resides in the NFC South.
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Most of the NFC South will be experiencing a bit of a facelift under center in 2023. But according to NFL.com contributing columnist Adam Schein, it’s not a particularly pretty one.
On Wednesday, Schein ranked the league’s eight divisions by their collective groups of (projected) starting quarterbacks. Bringing up the rear, similarly to 2022, is the NFC South.
As of now, the Atlanta Falcons are sticking with Desmond Ridder, the New Orleans Saints are transitioning to Derek Carr, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely opting for Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers have entered a new era with Bryce Young. While Schein wasn’t exactly bullish on Ridder or Mayfield, he did have this to write about this year’s No. 1 overall pick:
Now, I’m confident Young will live up to his draft pedigree as the No. 1 overall pick sooner than later. He’s a beautiful mind at a cerebral position, a resilient gamer with immense toughness that belies his slight frame. Not to mention, the Panthers have surrounded him with a spectacular coaching staff that understands the position, including head coach Frank Reich, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and senior assistant Jim Caldwell. This is going to work, even if/when Young suffers some rookie growing pains.
Even though Carolina’s depth chart is currently headed by veteran Andy Dalton, who was in New Orleans last season, Young is expected to be the team’s Week 1 starter. Per MMQB’s Albert Breer, the organization is just waiting on the new coaching staff to get up to speed with the inherent growing pains of their own.
So, perhaps Young can eventually help up the passing profile of the NFC South. But, for now, their low-ranking status isn’t much of a surprise.
What else do you expect when a second-year third-round pick is the longest tenured quarterback in the division?
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Former Panthers QB Baker Mayfield is back in the NFC South on a one-year pact with the Buccaneers.
Baker Mayfield is back in the NFC South!
As first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Wednesday, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback is set to join the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The agreement, which can be made official as soon as 4 p.m. ET today, is a one-year pact that can be worth up to $8.5 million.
2018’s first overall pick, Mayfield was acquired by the Panthers from the Cleveland Browns on July 6, 2022 in exchange for a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick. He was then pitted against incumbent starter Sam Darnold in a quarterback competition that summer, one he’d officially win on Aug. 22.
Mayfield wouldn’t, however, win much after that in Carolina. He made six starts over seven games for the Panthers—recording just one win while completing a then career-low 57.8 percent of his throws for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions.
Coming out of their Week 13 bye, Mayfield—who was then designated as the third-string option behind Darnold and PJ Walker—asked and was granted his release. He was then claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, where he made four starts to close out the campaign.
The soon-to-be sixth-year veteran is expected to challenge Kyle Trask for Tampa’s starting job.
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Derek Carr won’t be a Panther, as the four-time Pro Bowler is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Saints.
It looks like Derek Carr will be playing football in the NFC South in 2023. But it won’t be with the Carolina Panthers.
As first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Monday morning, Carr is expected to sign with the New Orleans Saints. Per Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport, the four-time Pro Bowler will be inking a four-year deal with Carolina’s NFC South rivals.
The #Saints are closing in on a deal with QB David Carr, sources tell me and @RapSheet. After nine seasons with the #Raiders, the four-time Pro Bowl selection is headed to New Orleans.
The first QB domino is about to fall and one NFC South team has its starter. pic.twitter.com/nuLSAhncLQ
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 6, 2023
Carr was released by the Las Vegas Raiders last month after nine seasons with the organization. He left as the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (35,222) and passing touchdowns (217).
The soon-to-be 32-year-old had spoken with the Panthers, as well as the New York Jets, during his short stint in free agency. But the Saints, more so than any other team, seemed most interested in Carr from the outset.
With Carr off the board, the Panthers will now shift even more of their focus towards the quarterback prospects of the 2023 NFL draft.
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If Tom Brady is retired “for good,” then the last of his NFL-record 251 wins came against the Panthers.
If Tom Brady is indeed finished, the final one of his NFL-record 251 wins came against the Carolina Panthers.
On Wednesday morning, the seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Most Valuable Player called it quits (again). Brady, in a video posted to his social media, says he’s retiring “for good.”
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
The 45-year-old, of course, declared his retirement last offseason—only to renege on his decision and return for a 23rd season. That final 23rd season saw Brady record league-highs in completions (490) and attempts (733) while posting 4,694 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
It also saw him clinch the NFC South crown one more time, at the expense of the Panthers. Brady, in the Week 17 clincher against Carolina, amassed a season-high 432 yards and three touchdowns—with 207 of those yards and all three of those scores going to wide receiver Mike Evans—in a 30-24 victory for Tampa Bay.
Brady retires as the NFL’s all-time leader in, well, pretty much everything—ending an historic career that also included a Super Bowl XXXVIII win over the Panthers back in 2004.
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Several Buccaneers teammates believe Tom Brady is on the outs in Tampa Bay.
Tom Brady already teased the Carolina Panthers and the rest of the NFC South once. But this time, his departure from the division might be for reals.
A report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Saturday morning indicated that the seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Most Valuable Player is likely moving on from his current digs. Rapoport notes that the sentiment amongst several of his teammates, based off interactions they’ve had with Brady since the wild-card round loss to the Dallas Cowboys, is that he’s done with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The report reads:
One said, “I’d be surprised if he’s back.”
Another opined, “He sounded like a person saying goodbye for good.”
Brady also sounded a similar refrain to media members in his final press conference on Monday. “I just want to say thank you guys for everything this year,” he said, noting his love for the organization and how grateful he was for the respect.
Nothing final. But to those who listened intently, it felt a lot like goodbye.
If this is a goodbye to the NFC South, Brady has already left behind yet another painful parting gift. His last game against the Panthers came in that fateful Week 17 matchup—where he threw for a season-high 432 yards and three touchdowns in knocking Carolina out of playoff contention.
The win also clinched Tampa Bay their second divisional crown in Brady’s three years with the franchise.
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