With Tom Brady now signed with Tampa Bay, Buccaneers receivers are about to find out what it’s like playing alongside the GOAT. Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard recently shared his initial reaction to Brady joining the Bucs.

“For me, like everyone else, I was hearing the rumors about it,” Howard recently told team reporter Casey Phillips. “But for me, I had to make sure it was true. When he signed and I knew it was official, it was awesome.

“Tom’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, so to be able to have a guy like that with the leadership ability and a known winner on your team, it’s very encouraging to hear.”

Like everyone else, Howard is faced with preparing for the upcoming season during an offseason of uncertainty. He told Phillips about his home training.

“The biggest thing right now to do, I guess, is just do what we do at home,” Howard said. “I can’t really do much on-field work right now. I’m just trying to stay in shape as far as like conditioning-wise and keeping my body up to date. I’ve got a JUGS machine at home, so I’ve been putting it to use when I can. So things like that, and then I think all the other stuff is just going to have to wait. The on-the-field stuff to get the timing down, it’s going to wait.”

In two seasons with Tampa Bay, Howard has appeared in 24 games, starting 22. He has logged 60 receptions for 997 yards and 11 touchdowns. With Brady’s tendency to throw to tight ends, Howard could post breakout numbers in Year 3.

Howard’s full conversation can be seen in the video below: