Jameis Winston Wearing Thumb Cast
- Jameis Winston may have been playing through a more significant thumb injury than initially believed. The Buccaneers quarterback is now wearing a cast, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Winston threw his usual variety of interceptions before the thumb injury surfaced but tossed four in Week 16 against the Texans after being on the Bucs’ injury report with the malady. The soon-to-be 26-year-old passer will be a free agent in March.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 12/31/19
Here are the reserve/futures deals handed out on New Year’s Eve:
Cincinnati Bengals
- CB Winston Rose
Detroit Lions
- C Russell Bodine, TE Paul Butler, TE Matt Sokol
Miami Dolphins
- LB Jake Carlock, LB Terrill Hanks, WR Andy Jones, TE Chris Myarick, T Chidi Okeke, DT Durval Queiroz Neto, WR T.J. Rahming, WR Terry Wright
New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC South Notes: JPP, Panthers, Falcons
Bruce Arians has understandably asserted Shaquil Barrett‘s all-time contract year will keep him with the Buccaneers but added the team wants to keep its other high-profile front-seven starters as well. Both Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh‘s contracts are up, but Arians said keeping both will be a top priority (Twitter link via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com). The veteran HC may have indicated JPP resides slightly higher on the priority list as well, per Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). Pierre-Paul returned from another scary injury this season and has registered 8.5 sacks in 10 games, giving him 21 in two Bucs seasons. The Bucs hold a great deal of cap space, at $88.9MM, but will likely need to devote a chunk of that amount to Jameis Winston.
Here is the latest from the AFC South:
- If Greg Olsen opts to put off his broadcasting career for another year, he will likely need to relocate. The veteran tight end indicated recently he did not want to take part in a potential Panthers rebuild. While the franchise has not committed to charting that path, Joe Person of The Athletic expects Olsen to be elsewhere in 2020. “I just think sometimes the writing’s on the wall,” Olsen said, via Joe Person of The Athletic (subscription required). “There hasn’t been anything officially. But I wanted to make sure if that was my last time that I made sure I told the people that I needed to how much they meant on my career.” One year (at a $6.6MM base salary) remains on the 34-year-old tight end’s contract. Carolina would save $8.1MM by cutting Olsen, its top tight end for the past nine years.
- Moving to a younger NFC South tight end, Austin Hooper acknowledged the Falcons have not yet made him an offer to stay, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Hooper, however, would like to return, and Thomas Dimitroff appeared to indicate the breakout tight end will be a priority (Twitter link via Ledbetter). We heard this earlier this season as well.
- A Hooper return may lead De’Vondre Campbell elsewhere. The Falcons already gave a top-market contract to Deion Jones and are up against the salary cap. While noting he wants to stay in Atlanta, the Falcons’ top 2019 tackler acknowledged (via ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure) he may need to change teams. Although the Falcons will consider re-signing Campbell and Vic Beasley, Dimitroff did not commit to either’s return (via McClure, on Twitter).
- Despite Breshad Perriman‘s end-of-season stretch potentially raising his free agency price, the Buccaneers‘ No. 3 wideout would like to stay in this high-octane offense. Perriman signed a one-year, $4MM deal with Tampa Bay, doing so after backing out of a Cleveland commitment following the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. The Bucs have Mike Evans on a high-end deal and will see Chris Godwin enter a contract year in 2020, perhaps pushing Perriman to another team.
- A player the Panthers do not want on another team: James Bradberry. Carolina’s top cornerback met with GM Marty Hurney, and David Newton of ESPN.com notes the fourth-year corner received a “be patient” message from this summit. The Panthers want Bradberry back, Newton adds, but the former Round 2 pick would obviously prefer an upper-echelon deal to stay.
Reserve/Futures Contracts: 12/30/19
With the regular season behind us, teams can start signing players to reserve/futures contract. This ties the player to the team’s 90-man offseason roster.
Several teams have already started completing these deals, which we’ve compiled below:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Johnnie Dixon, DL Lyndon Johnson, OL Sam Jones, WR A.J. Richardson, CB Sojourn Shelton, CB Duke Thomas
Carolina Panthers
- S Quin Blanding, K Elliott Fry, CB Dominique Hatfield, TE Temarrick Hemingway, WR Damion Jeanpiere, T Tyler Marz, T Aaron Monteiro, RB Marcus Murphy, LB Sione Teuhema
Denver Broncos
- OT Ka’John Armstrong, WR Trinity Benson, OLB Malik Carney, TE Bug Howard, S PJ Locke, WR Kelvin McKnight, RB Khalfani Muhammad, S Tyvis Powell, QB Brett Rypien, DL Jay-Tee Tiuli
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Zach Pascal, TE Mo Alie-Cox, K Chase McLaughlin
New York Giants
- FB George Aston, WR Alex Bachman, DB Derrick Baity, RB Jon Hilliman, LS Drew Scott, P Sean Smith, C Tanner Volson, WR Reggie White, DE Kevin Wilkins, OT Nate Wozniak
New York Jets
- P Ian Berryman, LB Ahmad Gooden, WR Keon Hatcher, DE Bronson Kaufusi, OL Corbin Kaufusi, OL Brad Lundblade, OL James Murray, LB Wyatt Ray, QB Mike White
Pittsburgh Steelers
- QB J.T. Barrett, WR Jamal Custis, OT Christian DiLauro, OT Derwin Gray, WR Quadree Henderson, S Tray Matthews, DE Henry Mondeaux, CB Alexander Myres, TE Kevin Rader, TE Christian Scotland-Williamson, RB Ralph Webb
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- C Anthony Fabiano, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, CB Herb Miller
Bucs, Jameis Winston Have Not Had Contract Talks
Yesterday, we heard from Jenna Laine of ESPN.com that Buccaneers brass is undecided on what to do with quarterback Jameis Winston, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Laine reported that members of Tampa’s front office have gone back and forth on the enigmatic signal-caller, unsure if he is the right person to key a return to competitiveness.
And as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, there have been no contract discussions of any kind between the Bucs and Winston. Given his uncertain standing within the organization, that makes some sense, but it’s somewhat curious that Tampa hasn’t at least reached out to Winston’s camp to see what kind of deal he’s looking for.
However, Florio says the fact that no conversations have taken place does not mean that the team necessarily plans to move on from Winston. All options remains on the table, including a long-term deal, a bridge contract, or even a franchise or transition tag. The Bucs and their former No. 1 overall pick will engage in talks after the season to determine if there is a mutually agreeable arrangement to be reached. While recent reports suggested that the team planned to retain Winston, it doesn’t sound as if that is set in stone.
Seemingly every game he plays, Winston shows flashes of brilliance emblematic of his draft status, but he struggles to avoid head-scratching and crippling turnovers. He is all but certain to crack 5,000 yards passing for the first time in his career in the Bucs’ season finale against Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, and he has thrown for a career-high 31 TDs. But he also leads the league in interceptions (28), and if he throws two interceptions versus the Falcons, he will become the first player in history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 picks in the same season.
NFC South Notes: Winston, Brown, Olsen
Buccaneers decision makers have faced one looming question at the quarterback position this season: Is Jameis Winston their franchise quarterback? Jenna Laine of ESPN chronicles the situation and details the organization’s biggest upcoming off-season decisions. Per Laine, members of the Tampa Bay organization have gone back and fourth on their belief in Winston and just a few weeks ago, some brass were “absolutely ready to be done with Winston,” however, the enigmatic quarterback has led the Bucs on a four-game winning streak and has changed some opinions.
While Winston’s play helped make his case, it also limited Tampa’s options at finding a replacement. Top quarterback prospects Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa are unlikely to be attainable for the Bucs in the draft now that they are unlikely to have a top-15 pick. There are a number of potential free agent options at the position, but Winston’s pedigree and relative youth likely means he’ll be back in Tampa.
Here’s some other notes from around the NFC South:
- Wide receiver Antonio Brown was not alone when he arrived in New Orleans for his workout with the Saints this week, according to Mike Garafolo on Good Morning Football. The four-time all-pro was accompanied by his entourage and a camera crew during the process. Brown has been mired in controversy surrounding his locker room antics in Pittsburgh, his strange decisions with the Raiders, and multiple allegations of sexual and behavioral misconduct that led to his release from the Patriots. No one denies his talent, but it remains unlikely any team will sign him this season.
- While the future of quarterback Cam Newton will be the biggest offseason story in Carolina, longtime Panthers tight end Greg Olsen will be deciding between retiring or returning next season. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the former may impact the latter. Newton and Olsen made one of the best quarterback-tight end combinations from 2014-16 and Yates believes Olsen is less likely to walk away from another chance to play with Newton.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Ade Aruna
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: C Casey Dunn
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Ishmael Hyman, TE Jordan Leggett
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Released: LB Josh Smith
Buccaneers Promote Franklin, Mickens
The Buccaneers promoted cornerback John Franklin and wide receiver Jaydon Mickens from the practice squad to the active roster on Tuesday. To make room, the Buccaneers waived wide receiver Ishmael Hyman and tight end Jordan Leggett.
Franklin has been playing cornerback on the Bucs’ taxi squad for the past six weeks, but he also played quarterback in college. After running the scout team offense in practice last week to mimic Deshaun Watson, it’s possible that Franklin could also see time under center in the Bucs’ season finale or at some point next year, if he sticks on the roster.
“Johnathan Franklin did an unbelievable job being Deshaun Watson last week at quarterback,” said head coach Bruce Arians. “He gave our defense a tremendous look. [He] made me think about, ‘Hmm, what do we want to do with him?’ He’s really a corner, but he’s been a quarterback and he’s been a receiver. He’s a really good athlete – it’s just finding a niche for him.”
Four new players have debuted for the Bucs over the last couple of weeks as they take a look ahead towards their 2020 plans. Franklin and Mickens have a chance to join that group. Mickens already has 16 regular season games under his belt thanks to his time with the Jaguars.
Mickens entered the league as UDFA with the Raiders in 2016 and spent his entire rookie season on Oakland’s practice squad. Since then, he’s spent time with the Jaguars (taxi squad and active roster) and had a stay on the Panthers’ training camp roster over the summer. In 16 games for the Jags, he recorded six receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He also averaged 8.9 yards on 39 punt returns and 21.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
The Bucs will wrap up the 2019 season against the Falcons on Sunday.
Bucs Intend To Bring Back Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston will likely remain in Tampa Bay for the 2020 season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Buccaneers are expected to bring back the quarterback next season.
However, it’s uncertain how the organization will go about retaining the former first-overall pick. “Barring an unlikely early contract,” Rapoport notes that the Buccaneers will have the option of using either the franchise tag or the transition tag (this is thanks to it being the final offseason of the current CBA). If an opposing team signs a franchised player to an offer sheet, they have to surrender a pair of first-rounders. An opposing team doesn’t need to send compensation if they sign a transition-tagged player to an offer sheet.
This is especially relevant for the Buccaneers, as sack-leader Shaquil Barrett is also set to hit free agency this offseason. As Rapoport notes, the projected franchise tag for quarterbacks is $27MM vs. $25MM for the transition tag. Meanwhile, the franchise tag for linebackers (and, presumably, Barrett) is $16MM vs. the $14MM transition tag.
Earlier this month, coach Bruce Arians refused to commit to Winston beyond this season. And, when asked about the above report, Arians said no determinations have been made.
“There’s been no decision on any player. We don’t make those decisions until the end of the season,” Arians said.
However, a bit has changed over the past few weeks. The quarterback has thrown for more than 400 yards in back-to-back games, and Tampa Bay can extend their winning streak to five against the Texans today. Winston has already set career-highs in passing yards (4,573) and touchdowns (30), but he’s also set a new mark in interceptions (24).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Jermaine Grace
- Released: QB Eric Dungey
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DB Jayson Stanley
- Placed on PS-IR: Terry Godwin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Jamal Custis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Jaydon Mickens