NFC South

When you're an aging wide receiver coming off a disappointing season, aligning with Tom Brady might be just the recipe for a rebound.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Julio Jones agreed to a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For a team in win-now mode, adding a wideout with Jones' pedigree is a no-brainer. A title contender can never have too much depth, especially at an offensive skill position.

From a fantasy football perspective, this may not move the needle much. Tom Brady was solidly in QB1 territory already, and Jones joins a crowded receiving corps that added Russell Gage earlier in the offseason.

Entering the 2021 season, it was a lot easier to talk yourself into the idea of Jones returning to form. He joined a contender that already had A.J. Brown, who could help divert some of the defense's attention away from him.

The result was the 33-year-old catching 31 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown. He also battled a hamstring injury, which had dogged him in 2020, and missed seven games.

Antonio Brown set an impressive pace in his limited time on the field for the Bucs in 2021. He had 42 receptions for 545 yards and four touchdowns in seven appearances. His 77.9 yards per game were second on the team behind Chris Godwin's 78.8.

If Jones can replicate that kind of role, then he'll be a major player in standard fantasy leagues.

But there are still too many variables at play to say with any confidence he's going to make an impact.

Gage eclipsed 700-plus yards receiving with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 and 2021. He's not a prolific pass-catcher but could take targets from Jones.

Counting on the future Hall of Famer to stay healthy is a big if, too, when he hasn't done that in the past two years.

Not to mention, Godwin re-signed, and after suffering a torn ACL, he might be playing himself back into form right around the time the fantasy playoffs roll around.

Rather than Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. might be the better parallel to Jones.

Beckham caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in the second half after signing with the Los Angeles Rams. His presence certainly benefited the Rams, but OBJ clearly wasn't his old self.

Between his nagging hamstring and the depth of Tampa Bay's aerial attack, banking on Jones is a risky bet.

In excellent news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, star wide receiver Chris Godwin was cleared for training camp, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

It was a quick turnaround for Godwin, who underwent surgery for a torn ACL on Jan. 3, and it means that fantasy players will have more clarity about his status heading into the season.

Injuries have been a major storyline in Godwin's career, however.

After appearing in every game between the 2017-18 seasons (seven starts), a hamstring injury cost him the final two games of the 2019 season, and another hamstring injury and a concussion cost him three games in 2020.

While those weren't major injuries, a torn ACL cut his 2021 season short in December and cast into doubt his availability for the start of the 2022 season. That didn't prevent the Bucs from signing him to a three-year, $60 million deal in the offseason, however.

When healthy, Godwin has been excellent. His breakout season came in 2019, when he nabbed 86 passes for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns with Jameis Winston under center, but he continued to thrive in 2020 (65 catches for 840 yards and seven scores) and 2021 (98 receptions for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns) with Tom Brady leading the charge.

The Bucs are loaded with weapons, from Mike Evans and Russell Gage at wideout to tight end Cameron Brate and running backs Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard. But Godwin is a huge playmaker for the team, and having him straight away in training camp is good news for a Tampa Bay team with Super Bowl aspirations.

Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold may be battling for the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback role, but Darnold says the competition doesn't affect their relationship off the field.

"When things start rolling in training camp, it's just going to be fun to be able to compete and have fun with it," Darnold told reporters Tuesday. "At the end of the day, this is a business and we both take our craft and what we do very seriously. So it's going to be serious when that time comes to compete, but off the field and all of that stuff, me and Baker are really cool."

Mayfield is the favorite to win the starting job after the Panthers traded for him July 6. They wouldn't have made that move if they felt confident in Darnold's ability to hold down the starting gig.

Darnold addressed the trade Tuesday:

"That's not really my job to try to understand or evaluate why [the trade was made]. For me it's about competing. At the end of the day, we all want to win as Panthers. We're all on the same team. And they're going to do whatever they feel like it's best for the team to win ball games this year.

"If that's bringing in Baker and me competing with him and us competing with each other to battle it out for the starting job, that's the best thing for the team."

Mayfield has had the better career, though Darnold's early years with the cellar-dweller New York Jets deserve mention. Here's how their career stats match up after each was selected within the first three picks of the 2018 NFL draft:

• Mayfield: 29-30 record, 14,125 passing yards, 92 touchdowns, 56 interceptions, 61.6 completion percentage, one playoff berth
• Darnold: 17-32 record, 10,624 passing yards, 54 touchdowns, 52 interceptions, 59.8 completion percentage, zero playoff berths

Darnold went 4-7 as the Panthers starter last season, including a 3-0 start before things fell apart. A shoulder injury cost him time midway through the season, and the Panthers were 5-5 after P.J. Walker led them to a win in relief duty before they lost seven straight games to close the year.

That prompted the offseason addition of Mayfield to help solidify the quarterback position, though Darnold won't give up the job without a fight.

"We're both in our eyes the starting quarterback for this team right now,'' Darnold said. "And that's how we're both going to view it. So it's just about going out there and competing, and that will be fun."

The trainer for Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette, Jordan Bush, said the reports of Fournette's weight being around 260 pounds during June's mandatory minicamp weren't a major concern.

Bush told Greg Auman of The Athletic:

"[Fournette] said, 'When camp comes around and I report, I’ll be ready to go.' He's going to pass his conditioning test. He's going to pass his physical. He's checking all those boxes. I think it was definitely blown out of proportion. I told him, 'It's part of the business. You're a professional athlete. People expect you to be a certain weight and look a certain way.' I get it."

Bush added that Fournette has spent the last month working out with him in Austin and that "the guy worked his butt off, every single day."

"Honestly, he did return to us a little bit bigger than we wanted," he continued. "He was also in the sauna every day, getting extra cardio every single day. We called it 'fat camp,' just to mess around with him, but he was doing that type of stuff every single day. We could see the weight coming off."

Last week, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported on his Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast that the veteran running back showed up to minicamp "about a donut shy of 260" pounds (h/t Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports).

Stroud added: "Coaches were not happy, and that's an understatement, when he didn't participate in the OTAs, but then he shows up at the mandatory minicamp weighing damn near 260. And that's not a good sign for a guy that you've just spent a three-year contract on."

Fournette acknowledged in June's camp that he was above his playing weight, telling reporters he was at "240-something" and that "230, 228 is definitely my range."

But he also didn't appear to appreciate how big of a news story his weight became after Stroud's report:

The 27-year-old was solid for the Bucs last season, rushing for 812 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 69 catches for 454 yards and two scores. He was rewarded with a three-year, $21 million deal in the offseason and looks to be the undisputed feature back after Ronald Jones II signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The main concern for the Bucs will be whether Fournette is around his target weight and in shape come training camp.

The New Orleans Saints placed Michael Thomas on the physically unable to perform list as they open training camp, according to ESPN's Field Yates.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday the team was optimistic he'll be "cleared at some point early in camp."

Ankle injuries kept Thomas out for the entire 2021 season. He had ankle surgery last offseason and began the regular season on the physically unable to perform list.

Even though Thomas was eligible to return from the PUP list in Week 7, he remained out of action. The 28-year-old announced on Nov. 3 he would miss the entire season because of "another small set back" in his recovery.

This marks the second consecutive year that ankle injuries have caused Thomas problems. He missed nine games in 2020 because of a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prior to 2021, Thomas had been one of the most durable and productive receivers in the NFL. He averaged 117.5 receptions, 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns from 2016-19.

The Saints did find ways to adjust without Thomas in 2021. Alvin Kamara essentially filled the void as the go-to option in the 2020 season with a career-high 240 carries. They added Chris Olave with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 draft to ease the burden on Thomas.

The New Orleans Saints are optimistic about the availability of star wide receiver Michael Thomas for training camp.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported there's a belief he will be "cleared at some point early in camp."

Thomas was limited to seven games in 2020 because of an ankle injury. Problems with the ankle persisted and kept him out for the entire 2021 season.

Thomas set the NFL's single-season record for receptions (149) and led the league in receiving yards (1,725) in 2019. As one would expect, his absence had a significant impact on the passing game over the last two years.

That was especially true in 2021, with Drew Brees retired and Jameis Winston missing 10 games because of a torn ACL. New Orleans averaged the fewest passing yards (187.4) in the NFL.

Thomas alone wouldn't have made the Saints an elite passing outfit, but he certainly would've made life easier for Winston and the team's backup quarterbacks.

Fortunately for Saints fans, Rapoport's report also painted a positive picture of the 29-year-old's relationship with the team.

Last August, NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan reported that Thomas didn't return calls from the Saints for three months after they had decided that March on a recovery plan for his ailing ankle. They were then left to scramble when it became clear he required surgery.

Following Duncan's report, Thomas posted a cryptic message on social media:

Upon taking over as head coach, Dennis Allen flew out to California to meet with Thomas.

"He is one of our better players, and I think that relationship between him and I is important," he said, per The Athletic's Katherine Terrell. "I felt like it was a cool deal to go out and see him in California going through the rehab process and getting some time to visit him just personally and get to know him a little better."

After a difficult season for both parties, it appears Thomas and the Saints are on the same page again.

When he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers, Baker Mayfield sacrificed a portion of his salary to facilitate the deal. Now, it appears he'll have the chance to earn that money back.

As part of his contract with the Panthers, Mayfield can earn up to $3.5 million in incentives based on playing time and performance, per ESPN's Field Yates:

The 27-year-old quarterback was originally set to make $18.8 million for the 2022 season after Cleveland had exercised his fifth-year option. When Mayfield was acquired by Carolina earlier this month, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Panthers would pay $4.85 million of his salary, while the Browns were on the hook to pay $10.5 million.

The incentives in Mayfield's contract are based both on individual and team performance. If he plays in 75 percent of the snaps this season, he will earn a bonus if Carolina wins 10 games and for every potential playoff victory. Leading the Panthers to a top-five or top-10 offense would also boost Mayfield's bank account, as will a Pro Bowl selection. His accuracy will also be important this year, thanks to the completion percentage incentive.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2018, Mayfield will be competing for Carolina's starting job against Sam Darnold, who was selected two picks after him. The Panthers also chose former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in the third round of this year's draft.

Mayfield will surely be motivated to win the quarterback competition, especially considering that Carolina's Week 1 opponent is Cleveland. The relationship between Mayfield and the Browns soured after the team publicly pursued and then acquired three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.

Veteran defensive tackle Eddie Goldman is retiring from the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons announced his decision Tuesday.

Goldman spent his first six seasons in the league with the Chicago Bears.

Following his release by the Bears in March, the 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Falcons on July 6.

The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs reported last July that some around the NFL thought Goldman was considering retirement. He sat out the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic and hadn't yet arrived at training camp.

Upon rejoining the team, Goldman spoke of how much he missed playing while on the sidelines the previous year.

"It was kind of painful, you know?" he told reporters last July. "Because when you’re used to the routine, it’s like you know what times they’re hitting the field at this time, they’re warming up around this time, they’re having the locker room speech. You know what I mean. All of that and just being away from it just kind of killed me."

It appears Goldman had a change of heart in terms of his passion for the game that could've been spurred on by his performance in 2021.

The 6'3" nose tackle appeared in 14 games and only made 10 starts, his fewest since 2016. Only once was he on the field for at least 50 percent of Chicago's defensive snaps. By comparison, he hit that threshold nine times in 2019.

Given his reputation, the Falcons were almost certainly counting on Goldman to at least provide competition for Anthony Rush for the starting nose tackle job. Now, they'll have to look elsewhere to bolster their depth on the interior of their line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen has become one of the top players in the NFL at his position, and it's his attitude setting him apart.

"He's wild as s--t," an NFC coach told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Every play, he's talking and playing physically to back it up."

A survey of NFL personnel listed Jensen as best center in the league and the sixth-best interior offensive linemen. After sitting outside the top 10 of rankings in previous years, he was voted as high as second among interior offensive linemen this year.

"I think he's the best center in football," a veteran NFL defensive coach said.

Jensen was a sixth-round draft pick in 2013 and saw limited playing time his first three years with the Baltimore Ravens. He finally became a starter in 2017 before signing with the Buccaneers as a free agent in 2018. He has since developed into an elite blocker, earning his first Pro Bowl selection in 2021.

The 31-year-old could remain a key part of the Buccaneers offense as they try to bring home another Super Bowl title.