The New Orleans Saints are expected to see a heated rivalry with NFC South division foe Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the latter's crazy past offseason. Which included getting rid of quarterback Jameis Winston for star gunner Tom Brady.

Longtime Saints head coach Sean Payton is now accusing the Buccaneers of losing games on purpose during the 2014 campaign in order to select Jameis Winston with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Winston signed with the Saints this offseason to backup veteran Drew Brees.

Per Greg Auman in The Athletic, via Bucs Wire:

“Heck, they lost the game on purpose to us at the end of the season prior with Lovie Smith,” Payton said Thursday in an interview with 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore as he discussed his new backup quarterback, former Tampa Bay starter Jameis Winston. “They forced Lovie to take his starters out of the game so they could get the one spot to draft Jameis.”

The 2014 Buccaneers team was coached by Lovie Smith and only won two game. They then earned the top pick in the 2015 draft to take Heisman Trophy-winning Florida State signal-caller Jameis Winston. The last game of that season, though, was against Payton and the Saints, who only won by three points versus an abjectly terrible Bucs squad.

Even if they didn't lose on purpose, maybe it was not quite a blessing for Tampa Bay after they beat New Orleans. The Bucs never made a postseason berth with Winston under center for them over five years.