Jameis Winston had a season for the ages in 2019, which was both good and bad, as the former number one overall pick threw for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, becoming the first player ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 picks in the same season.
Winston’s performance didn’t do him any favors, though, as the Bucs opted to let Winston walk in free agency as they turned their sights on Tom Brady. Winston eventually landed in New Orleans with the Saints on a one-year deal where he will serve as a backup to Drew Brees.
And while Winston may not be a starter heading into 2020, he still found himself turning some heads this week after comments he made to Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne where he said that “historically I’m one of the best quarterbacks to play the game.”
Many people may have been quick to laugh off this comment, but Bucky Brooks of NFL.com came to Winston’s defense by taking a closer look at the numbers.
Per Brooks:
“Jameis just became the eighth quarterback in league history to pass for 5,000 yards in a single season, joining Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees, who’s actually accomplished the feat five times. At age 26, Winston has thrown for the second-most passing yards of any NFL quarterback through five seasons, trailing only Manning. Moreover, Winston has more touchdowns (121) through his first five seasons than Brett Favre (108), Kurt Warner (101), Brady (87) and Brees (80). Think about that: The guy who has been the butt of all jokes since becoming the first quarterback with 30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in a single season is a certified baller with a slate of numbers that put him in the same early-career stratosphere as a number of Hall of Fame types.”
Brooks does point out that concerns about Winston’s decision making are fair, but believes we are over-blowing his turnovers. It’s unfortunate that we won’t see Winston starting this year. It would’ve been interesting to see how he would have responded after that 2019 season and being let go in favor of Brady.
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