With four games left to go in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem no closer to making a decision on quarterback Jameis Winston’s future now than they did before the season started.
Even head coach Bruce Arians dodged a question about Winston’s future yesterday, and at this point, it’s anyone’s guess whether or not the former Heisman Trophy winner suits up for the Bucs beyond this season.
With a sizable free agent quarterback market in 2020, Winston could find himself among a number of big names looking for a new team. But, according to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, Winston could very well end up back in Tampa Bay next season, but with a catch.
“The Bucs could wait to see whether they find that [downfield passing attack] quarterback in the draft, but the 67-year-old Arians didn’t join Tampa to start a rebuild, and the Bucs would run the risk of ending up without a veteran starter or a quarterback of the future. Given the tepid market Winston would likely see if he did hit free agency, my guess is that the two sides come to terms on a multiyear deal to keep him around for 2020 with no guaranteed money afterward.“
That right there would be the most likely scenario should the Bucs decide to bring him back. A one-year prove it deal (again) would give them a better idea of how to proceed going forward. If they choose to move on after 2020, they can part ways with him without taking a huge financial hit.
As I wrote yesterday, if you want to make the case for bringing Winston back for one more year, look no further than former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer, in his first year playing under Arians, threw 24 touchdowns and a career-high 22 interceptions. But, in his second full season playing under Arians, he threw for a career-high in both passing yards (4,671) and touchdowns (35), while leading the Cards to a 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Even better, he threw just 11 interceptions that year, the fewest in a season where he played at least 10 games.
Maybe giving Winston one more year to learn under Arians isn’t such a bad idea after all.
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