TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston isn't going anywhere without his beloved dog, Tootsie Winston. As teammates scrambled Wednesday to make last-minute travel plans in hopes of escaping Hurricane Irma, Winston's primary concern was ensuring his pup would be safe.

"I'm not putting my dog on any plane. Heck, no. We are going to have to drive," said Winston.

The quarterback's other main concern was for his teammates' families. "This is bigger than football," he said. "Hopefully everybody is safe. That's the most important thing right now."

Jameis Winston will be leaving the Tampa area by car, not plane, to accommodate his beloved dog. Jonathan Dyer/USA Today Sports

Rookie linebacker Kendell Beckwith was supposed to make his NFL debut as a starter this weekend against the Miami Dolphins. Instead, his relatives, who had purchased tickets, had to cancel their trips to Miami and will be staying home in Louisiana. Beckwith will be headed there as well.

"I am not the one to play with these things. I'm leaving," said Beckwith, who was in his hometown of Clinton, Louisiana, when Hurricane Katrina hit. It's about 45 minutes from Baton Rouge. "Trees were down left and right. We didn't have lights or power for 2 1/2 weeks. It was a bad situation. I can't imagine what the people of New Orleans felt."

He sure doesn't want to find out, either. On Wednesday, Irma barreled her way through the Caribbean with 185 mph winds. In Antigua, St. John's and Barbuda, the hurricane splintered forests full of trees and turned tin roofs into shrapnel as she made way toward Puerto Rico.

The Category 5 storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Atlantic, isn't expected to reach Florida until early Sunday. By then, the storm may shift course. Late Wednesday, forecasters said her track was beginning to shift east. That happened with Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Georges in 1998, with both storms changing directions and sparing the Tampa Bay area.

But Bucs players aren't taking chances.

Middle linebacker Kwon Alexander was trying to book airfare on his cell phone Wednesday in the locker room after practice. Nearby, offensive tackle Demar Dotson was waiting to hear when his girlfriend would be able to take off from work. That would dictate when the couple and their young daughter could leave for Louisiana.

"I'm definitely getting out of Florida," Dotson said. "I'm probably getting out of here first thing in the morning."

For cornerback Robert McClain and new safety T.J. Ward, preparing for hurricanes is completely foreign. Same with rookie wide receiver Chris Godwin.

Godwin experienced snow days growing up in Middleton, Delaware, but not hurricanes. Neither has his girlfriend, who is also from Middleton. The two will head to South Carolina this week to stay with her grandparents.

"She's definitely nervous. We're just both not familiar with this," Godwin said, adding that had the game been moved to a neutral site rather than being postponed, he would have had a very difficult time focusing on football, worrying if his girlfriend were OK.

Head coach Dirk Koetter told players they won't have to be back until Tuesday, which is consistent with what they'd do during a regular bye week. Players have time to book travel and prepare their homes.

Like several of his players, Koetter hasn't experienced a hurricane before. Coming up with a game plan for Miami or next week's game against the Chicago Bears? Those are nothing compared to preparing for a natural disaster and the safety of his family and his team's families.

"The football part -- I'm not nervous about the football part," Koetter said. "I'm nervous about what's gonna happen. All you've gotta do is turn on the TV and look at Houston. We should be nervous."