We’ll say this for Jameis Winston — throughout his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s been remarkably consistent. The first overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Florida State, Winston made his NFL debut against the Titans on September 13, 2015 in a 42-14 loss. Winston’s first throw of the day was an attempt to receiver Adam Humphries that was intercepted and returned for a 26-yard touchdown by Tennessee cornerback Coty Sensabaugh:
And Winston’s final throw of the 2019 season, the one that put the game away for the Falcons in a 28-22 overtime win, was a pass intended for tight end Cameron Brate that was intercepted and returned for a 27-yard touchdown by Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones:
BALL GAME! pic.twitter.com/uY753y5aVp
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 29, 2019
It took Winston into overtime of the final regular-season game to do it, but with that pick, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. Winston threw two touchdowns to take his season total to 31, and two interceptions to get to 30. It is perhaps the perfect encapsulation of a career that has seen equal parts amazing plays and head-banging frustration out of the same quarterback.
Winston also set the NFL’s single-season record for pick-sixes with seven, beating out Peyton Manning in 2001 and Rudy Bukich of the Bears in 1966. We’ll give Bukich extra credit for throwing six pick-sixes in a season where he attempted just 309 passes, but that’s another story.
The closest any quarterback has come to the 30/30 mark before is Lynn Dickey of the 1983 Packers, who threw 32 touchdowns and 29 picks, leading the league in both categories that season, as well as his 4,458 passing yards. Dickey threw 11 of those interceptions in the final four games of the season, so it was tough to expect more.
Winston missed out on throwing picks in just three games this season — Week 2 against the Panthers, Week 5 against the Saints, and Week 13 against the Jaguars. Winston had thrown interceptions on the Bucs’ opening drives six times this season, and five times in a seven-game stretch. The Buccaneers were 4-1 in those games, which tells you all you need to know about the feast-and-famine nature of Winston’s game. Because Winston, as flawed as he is when warming up into a game, also has an rare ability to redeem himself. In Week 14 and 15 wins over the Colts and Lions, Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 450 yards in two straight games, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio was 8-4 in those games.
Perhaps Winston was made for a different era, when quarterbacks could throw interceptions with relative impunity as long as they came back to win. George Blanda of the 1962 Houston Oilers of the American Football League has the professional football record with 42 interceptions, and he did it in a 14-game season. Blanda also led his team to an 11-3 record, and an overtime loss in the league’s championship game. Blanda is in the Hall of Fame.
Where will Winston be? That’s hard to say. This marks the end of his rookie contract — yes, Winston began and ended his rookie contract with pick-sixes — and either the Buccaneers or another NFL team will have an interesting decision to make regarding his future. Winston will be just 26 years old at the start of the 2020 league year, and there’s no question about his positive potential as a quarterback. Problem is, his negative potential as a quarterback is just as obvious.
In an era where efficiency is king, there is a limited market for quarterbacks who hurl the ball all over the field, consequences be damned. The Bucs might consider franchising Winston to see if he can work the kinks out in a second season under head coach Bruce Arians, but there’s also the idea that once you’re that kind of quarterback, you tend to stay that kind of quarterback. Brett Favre, after all, has more pick-sixes than any other quarterback in NFL history with 16, and as much as any number of brilliant coaches tried to tame Favre, Favre stuck with mixing his brilliance with his ability to frustrate everybody in his general vicinity. That’s why Favre is the NFL’s all-time interception leader with 336 — and why Blanda ranks second at 277.
With just five seasons under his belt, Winston now has 88 picks, which ties him for 141st in NFL history with Jim Finks, Mark Rypien, and Michael Vick. And because Good Jameis is so intriguing, you can bet that Bad Jameis will have all kinds of opportunities to rocket up that list.