Bucs appear happy to let division rivals overpay for veteran pass rushers

While their NFC South rivals have added some big names on paper, the Bucs are interested in better long-term investments

While many fans have been clamoring for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to add a marquee pass rusher in free agency, they’ve instead watched as two of the biggest names on the market have signed with other teams in the NFC South.

First, it was Chase Young signing a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.

Now, it’s Jadeveon Clowney signing a two-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.

It’s unclear whether or not the Bucs were ever interested in either player, or perhaps simply unwilling to pay them what they eventually got from their division rivals. But instead of bring frustrated that household names like Young and Clowney will be facing the Bucs twice a year instead of wearing pewter, Tampa Bay fans should be glad they have a prudent front office that isn’t throwing money at name recognition that comes with age and durability questions.

Young is technically still in his prime, but he brings injury concerns that scared many teams off in free agency. Clowney had a stellar 2023 campaign for the Baltimore Ravens, but he just turned 31 years old, the same age as recently released Bucs pass rusher Shaq Barrett.

No, it looks like Bucs general manager Jason Licht and his crew are happy to go the younger and/or cheaper route, especially considering they have five picks in the first four rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.

Those moves might look good on paper for the Saints and Panthers, but it won’t be surprising if Tampa Bay playing the long game pays off in a more sustained way once the games actually start this fall and beyond.

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Saints are third in the NFC South win total over/unders

The Atlanta Falcons are the new NFC South front-runners while the Saints find themselves at third in the division, according to the latest odds:

We have a better idea of where each NFL team stands going into 2024, and so do oddsmakers. DraftKings Sportsbook has released their lines for wins in the 2024 season. Similar to power rankings, it is still a very early prediction. Teams have yet to go through the NFL draft, and those selections often play a pivotal part in how teams are viewed heading into the season.

The New Orleans Saints are currently set at over/under 7.5 victories. There are only eight teams that have a lower win projection. Once again, this falls in line with power rankings that had the Saints in the bottom eight of the NFL.

So this means the Saints will likely be viewed like this going into next season unless they have a highly regarded draft class. They have to earn stronger expectations after underperforming in two years with Dennis Allen at head coach. Finishes at 7-10 and 9-7 haven’t been good enough to reach their stated goal: the playoffs.

New Orleans’ win projection ranks third in the division. The addition of Kirk Cousins has skyrocketed the view of the Atlanta Falcons. They are tied for the second-highest over/under in the NFC (10.5). Tampa Bay finds themselves slightly above New Orleans at 8.5. The slight difference between the two is reflective of how last year played out. The only team in the division the Saints are ahead of is the Carolina Panthers, whose over/under is set at 4.5.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales: We’ll be competitive this year in ‘dangerous’ NFC South

Panthers HC Dave Canales believes his team can be competitive in the NFC South this year, but only if they get their football right.

The Carolina Panthers’ trek to their first-ever Lombardi Trophy obviously won’t be an easy one based on where they’re currently standing. But for new head coach Dave Canales, it begins with winning their first division crown in nearly a decade.

Canales spoke with reporters from the NFL’s Annual League Meeting on Tuesday morning. He’d go into some detail about the recent changes in the NFC South, a division he described as “dangerous.”

“I really just think people are going to be really surprised about this year and the level of football that comes out of it,” he said, via Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. “I think we’re going to be competitive for the division this year. And what I’m saying is if we play good football, if we can get the football right, like we believe we can, and we can take care of the football, that the numbers take care of themselves. We’ll be in the hunt, and we’ll be in every single game, which will give us an opportunity to be in the hunt for the division at the end.”

Carolina’s last NFC South title came in 2015, during the team’s 15-win regular season. Those Panthers would also go on to secure the NFC championship before falling to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

For the organization to revisit those heights, they’ll have to start from the very bottom. 2023 saw the Panthers finish with a league-worst 15 losses, which resulted in the worst record ever for a 17-game campaign.

So to climb in the right direction, it simply begins with, well, the simple stuff.

“For me, it starts with the division, so you’re looking to win the division every year,” Canales added. “You’d love to win the championship, but it all starts off by winning the division. How can we do that? And then you work backward from there. We’ve got to get our football right . . .

“Every one of those games is going to be a huge opportunity for us to become us to see what version of football we want to play. We want to walk out of that field saying this is Panthers football. It’s tough, it’s fast. It’s physical, it’s really intelligent.”

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Are the Bucs still the favorites to win the NFC South?

Despite riding a three-year streak of division titles, oddsmakers don’t see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers doing it again in 2024

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC South in each of the past three seasons, and most of last year’s division-champion team is back for the 2024 campaign.

But that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from dropping them out of pole position for this year’s NFC South crown.

Projected win totals are now hitting the books for the 2024 season, and the Atlanta Falcons have made a massive jump, with their current total win number coming in at 10.5.

The Dirty Birds haven’t won the division since 2016, but the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins and the hiring of new head coach Raheem Morris clearly has them trending in the right direction (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman):

Even with those additions, though, it’s hard to imagine the Falcons make such a dramatic leap in the division standings, especially while the Bucs are currently riding a three-year streak of NFC South title, with the core of their playoff roster back on both sides of the ball.

But hey, that’s why they play the games.

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NFC South rival Falcons agree on massive deal with QB Kirk Cousins

The NFC South just got a bit more interesting.

A division rival just got a whole lot better.

As announced by his agent on Monday afternoon, quarterback Kirk Cousins has agreed to terms on a massive deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the four-time Pro Bowl passer will be headed to the NFC South on a four-year, $180 million pact with $100 million in guarantees.

Cousins, 35, is undoubtedly an upgrade at the position for the Falcons—who have struggled to find an answer under center since the departure of Matt Ryan. Atlanta has started a handful of quarterbacks since 2022—including Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke.

The Carolina Panthers are not exactly strangers to Cousins, who has experienced some success against his new nearby foes in the past. Over five career games, he’s completed just over 70 percent of his passes for 1,341 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

He’s also picked up wins for the Minnesota Vikings in his last two matchups in Charlotte, with the most recent coming in Week 4 of this past season.

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Atlanta Falcons bring Kirk Cousins to the NFC South

Kirk Cousins is joining the NFC South as an Atlanta Falcon. The starting quarterbacks in the division are now set.

Kirk Cousins is coming to Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons have an agreement in principle with the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback on a four-year contract valued at $180 million, averaging out to $45 million year with $100 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Cousins departing Minnesota was a bubbling offseason story, and Atlanta was always the predicted alternate destination given the similar offense that new play caller Zac Robinson is installing.

Now the quarterbacks in the NFC South are set:

  • Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins
  • Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young
  • New Orleans Saints: Derek Carr
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield

Raheem Morris has said he wouldn’t be the head coach right now if quarterback play had been better in 2023, and Cousins provides a clear upgrade over every recent option the Falcons have had at quarterback. Their weapons entered the league with promise but are largely unaccomplished. How much will Kirk Cousins improve the Falcons passing attack will be one of their biggest storylines of 2024.

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NFC South rival could steal Baker Mayfield from Bucs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to re-sign Baker Mayfield, but a division rival could make a push to snatch him away

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the jackpot last year when they signed veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield to a cheap one-year deal, as the former No. 1 overall pick responded with the best season of his NFL career, helping to lead the Bucs to a third straight division title.

Now, the Bucs are going to have to pay up if they want to keep Mayfield as their starter moving forward, and they’ll have to fight off any other potential suitors that Mayfield could have in free agency.

Once such threat to poach Mayfield from Tampa Bay could be an NFC South rival in the Atlanta Falcons, who will be looking to replace Desmond Ridder this offseason:

The Falcons will have plenty of other veteran options including Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson, and they also currently own a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

While they could end up being a dark-horse candidate to secure Mayfield’s services, it still feels more likely that he’s back in Tampa Bay next season and beyond, while the Falcons opt for one of the other options under center.

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Former Bucs QB Ryan Griffin lands NFL coaching job in NFC North

Griffin will be back on an NFL sideline in 2024, but he won’t be wearing pads this time around.

Former Bucs quarterback Ryan Griffin is back in the NFL — he just won’t be putting on his helmet.

The former Bucs quarterback hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2022, but he’s set to rejoin the fold as a coach. The Chicago Bears announced two new coaching hires, and Griffin was one of them, as he’s set to serve as an assistant working with quarterbacks and receivers.

Griffin was often Tampa Bay’s second or third-string quarterback. He only ever threw four passes in his career, completing two of them for 18 total yards. He had a long career with the Bucs, though, playing for the team from 2015-22. He spent a total of nine years in the NFL, playing for both the Bucs and the New Orleans Saints.

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Ranking all 32 teams (including the Falcons) by 2024 strength of schedule

Ranking all 32 teams (including the #Falcons) by strength of schedule in 2024

It’s officially Super Bowl week in the NFL as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to take on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in Las Vegas. The other 30 NFL teams will be at home focusing on the 2024 season.

Eight teams, including the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks, have hired new head coaches and most are looking ahead to the upcoming free agency period. Plus, the NFL draft is just around the corner.

Another offseason milestone that fans look forward to is the release of the 2024 schedule. While the official schedule release is still roughly 100 days away, we do know which opponents each team will play against this season.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the 2024 strength of schedule for all 32 teams. As you’ll see below, the four NFC South teams have some of the weakest schedules in the entire NFL.

Saints could play International Series game in Germany in 2024

The Saints could play an International Series game with the Panthers in Germany in 2024. Divisional matchups are uncommon, but not unheard of:

There’s a chance the New Orleans Saints could fly overseas again in 2024. The NFL announced Monday that five games will be played in its International Series next season, with the Carolina Panthers hosting one of them. The Saints are not scheduled to travel for games against the other four hosts, but they’ll go to Carolina as part of the annual two-game NFC South rivalry series.

Or, maybe, they’ll go to Germany. The Panthers will play a home game at Munich’s Allianz Arena. New Orleans will not lose another home game to the International Series slate until 2030, but that doesn’t mean they’re prevented from making the trip as visitors. And this being an NFC South feature won’t stop the NFL from assigning them to go.

Divisional matchups are uncommon in overseas games, but they aren’t as rare as you’d think. Of the 43 NFL games played abroad, six have pitted divisional opponents.

In 2022 the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. There were three games featuring divisional rivals in the 2019 season, including the Carolina Panthers’ matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London (the Panthers were nominal visitors). Here’s the full list of divisional games in the International Series:

  • 2015: New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins (AFC East)
  • 2017: Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams (NFC West)
  • 2019: Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South)
  • 2019: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South)
  • 2019: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers (AFC West)
  • 2022: San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West)

The Saints have played three games in the International Series since it kicked off back in 2007: They won twice at Wembley Stadium in London, beating the San Diego Chargers in 2008 and shutting out the Miami Dolphins in 2017, but they lost a close one to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022.

We’ll have to wait and see whether the Saints are making a trip to Germany this year. We learned in early May 2022 that the Saints would kick off with the Vikings in London. The NFL typically unveils the full schedule in May. And watch out for sketchy reports — German tabloids last year ran with the story that the Saints would be visiting for a game with the New England Patriots, but it didn’t pan out. So maybe wait to plan your trip.

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