Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is in a state of limbo right now with the organization as he waits to find out whether they want to bring him back next season.
The Winston roller-coaster season of 2019 was well documented — 5,109 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions — but it did little to provide any clarity on his future with the team that drafted him first overall in 2015.
There are articles on the daily speculating about Winston’s NFL future and where he could wind up once the dust settles. Today, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote about the conversations he’s had with NFL execs and personnel regarding the most captivating free agents. And, wouldn’t you know it, Mr. Winston topped the list.
Fowler reports that most people around the league expect Winston to be assigned the franchise or transition tag, or even be signed to short-term deal by the Bucs. One NFL personnel man feels Winston is still the right fit for Tampa Bay, and even invoked the name of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to make his point.
“[The Bucs] are a vertical passing team, second-level-type reads. That’s why you see explosive plays and aggressiveness, which lends itself to at least some turnovers. Jameis has that [Ben] Roethlisberger mentality, so if they can cut down the turnovers significantly, they can win games with him.”
It’s fitting that Roethlisberger’s name was used, given that Bruce Arians was Big Ben’s offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2011.
While Winston did have a tumultuous season in 2019, several former players expect him to thrive under Arians in Year 2. The only question is, will the Bucs afford him that chance?
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