Tag: Jameis Winston contract

Don’t expect an announcement on Jameis Winston’s future anytime soon

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said we shouldn’t expect to hear news about Jameis Winston’s future for a while.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have ended their season last Sunday with their Week 17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but the work is just beginning for this team as they head into the offseason.

The biggest question that needs answering is what to do with quarterback Jameis Winston, who had a year for the ages in 2019 (both good and bad). Winston threw for over 5,000 yards, becoming just the eighth quarterback ever to reach that mark and the first in franchise history. But, he also became the first player ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season.

The Bucs were hoping that at this point they’d have some clarity on what to do with the former No. 1 overall pick, who was playing on the final year of his rookie contract. But, after such an up-and-down 2019 campaign, the team still seems uncertain about what to do, despite reports that Winston is slated to return.

And, according to head coach Bruce Arians, it doesn’t seem like we’ll get an answer about Winston’s future anytime soon.

It’s very telling that Arians keeps sidestepping questions about Winston, given that he’s spoken about other players and their futures without hesitation.

It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the Bucs and their franchise quarterback. One thing is for sure, though — if Winston returns in 2020, he won’t be given as much leeway as he was this year.

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Jeremy Fowler of ESPN warns Bucs not to give Jameis Winston long-term money

See why ESPN writer Jeremy Fowler thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be unwise to offer quarterback Jameis Winston a long-term deal.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons ended in the only way it could have: a Jameis Winston pick-six.

The former No. 1 overall pick, who played this past season on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract in a “prove it” year, became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. Not only that, but he also became just the eighth quarterback ever to throw for 5,000 yards in a season.

But a 7-9 finish meant the Buccaneers missed the playoffs for the 12th-straight season, and with Winston as their quarterback, they’ve had just one winning year, 2016 when they were a surprising 9-7.

The Bucs have indicated they are leaning towards bringing Winston back for at least one more year. But, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN says, giving Winston long-term money would be a bad idea.

“The Bucs have the best free-agent class seven wins can buy in Winston, Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh and Shaq Barrett. Tampa Bay has smartly maintained one of the league’s youngest rosters while carving out healthy cap space, but keeping that defensive front seven together is prudent business. Since teams are allowed to double up with the use of franchise and transition tags in 2020 via the CBA transition, maybe use them on Winston and Barrett, while going all-in on a run for the playoffs next season. But don’t give Winston long-term money; you’d be competing against yourselves in that particular market.”

I doubt anyone is expecting the Bucs to actually give Winston a long-term deal. As impressive as it is that he threw for over 5,000 yards, he really has done nothing to warrant a long-term contract. No playoff appearances. An off-the-field incident that led to a suspension. One winning season.

Tampa Bay is likely hoping Winston will have a big Year 2 under Bruce Arians like Carson Palmer did. If they use either tag on him and he under-performs, it ultimately won’t hurt them in the long run financially.

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The Ringer calls Jameis Winston the ‘Benjamin Button of interceptions’

See what ‘The Ringer’ had to say about Jameis Winston’s crazy statistical year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played their best football over the last half of the season, it still wasn’t enough to get them to the postseason for the first time since 2007.

When they take the field Sunday in their Week 17 finale against the Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs will be watching to see if their quarterback Jameis Winston can make franchise history by becoming the first Buccaneers quarterback (and eighth overall) to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season. Winston needs just 92 more yards to hit that mark. And, with two interceptions, he could make another kind of history — the bad kind — by becoming the first quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season.

The Bucs are planning to bring Winston back next season, but he’ll have to fix his interception problem if he wants to stick around for the long-term.

But, if you ask Rodger Sherman of The Ringer, he doesn’t believe the problem is fixable. Sherman wrote a great in-depth piece about Winston and his seemingly inexplicable statistical season. It’s certainly worth a read, and this little excerpt below from Sherman’s article gives you an idea of why he thinks Winston won’t change.

“There’s no evidence to suggest that Winston will figure this out with time. He had 10 picks as a freshman in college, then 18 as a sophomore. His interception rate went from 2.8 percent as an NFL rookie to 3.2 percent in his second year to 3.7 percent in 2018 to 4.7 percent this season. Quarterbacks should get better at avoiding turnovers as time goes on. Winston is the Benjamin Button of interceptions. There aren’t going to be more players like Winston. He’s a one-of-a-kind anti-star who cloaks his devastating tendency for self-destruction inside of a game that reasonably replicates the things good quarterbacks do. He succeeds often enough that teams might be convinced to let him ruin them.”

If you think, too, that Sherman wrote this piece out of a bias or hatred for Winston, think again. He actually ends his piece by pointing out how much he enjoys watching him.

“As a neutral observer, I love it. Efficient quarterback play has become the standard in the modern NFL. Everybody is chasing the most efficient path to success … except this one guy who seems equally interested in success and failure. I’m just glad it’s not my house exploding.”

Unfortunately, for Bucs fans, it is their house Winston is playing in.

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Bruce Arians refutes NFL Network report that Bucs are bringing back Jameis Winston

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians dismissed the idea that a decision has been made on Jameis Winston’s future.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one win away from finishing the season 8-8, something that seemed impossible just over a month ago when they sat at 3-7.

The big second half turnaround can be attributed in part to quarterback Jameis Winston, who despite having 28 interceptions has played some of the best football of his career the past month. In Week 15’s win over the Detroit Lions, Winston became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 450 yards in back-to-back games.

It seemed like Winston had done just enough to convince the Buccaneers to bring him back next season. Winston, the former number one overall pick by Tampa Bay, was playing out the fifth and final year of this contract this season, so the Bucs were under no obligation to bring him back.

But NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last Saturday that the team was slated to bring Winston back in 2020. Of course, that report came out before Winston went out and threw four interceptions in a loss to the Houston Texans, including another pick-six.

Perhaps that’s why head coach Bruce Arians seemed to dismiss Rapoport’s report after the game, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.

This could of course just be Arians giving the typical answer coaches give when asked about the future of certain players: “Everything waits until the end of the season.”

So, while Winston very well could be back in Tampa Bay next year, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer to know for sure.

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Take a look at how long it’s been since Tom Brady threw 28 interceptions

Jameis Winston has 28 interceptions on the year. How long has it taken Tom Brady to throw that many picks?

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network this weekend that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slated to bring back quarterback Jameis Winston in 2020.

The uncertainty of Winston’s future in Tampa Bay has been the story of the season for this team, which struggled to a 3-7 start but now sit at 7-8 with one game left to play. Winston has had a memorable season for the Bucs, both good and bad. He’s less than 100 yards away from becoming the eighth quarterback in league history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season. But, he also has a league-leading 28 interceptions on the year, including four picks in Saturday’s loss to the Houston Texans.

Winston could become the first quarterback since Vinny Testaverde in 1988 (also with the Bucs) to throw at least 30 interceptions in a season. Testaverde finished that year with a whopping 35.

Winston’s inability to protect the football has been one of the main reasons why the Bucs constantly play from behind. So, while the team is committed to bringing him back, he’s going to have to clean up his act and fast.

Winston now has more career interceptions than Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who came into the league 10 years before Winston. And, just to further put Winston’s interception total this season into perspective, here’s a look at how long it’s been since New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrown 28 picks.

That’s right. Dating all the way back to the 2016 season, Brady has thrown a total of 28 interceptions in 59 games. Winston, meanwhile has thrown 28 interceptions in just 15 games this season.

The Bucs may feel confident about bringing Winston back for one more year. But, if interceptions continue to pile up and the team once again fails to make a postseason run, it’ll likely be Winston’s last.

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Jameis Winston doesn’t make excuses in his postgame press conference

Despite a four interception day battling an injury and missing his top two receivers, QB Jameis Winston took responsibility for the loss.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Houston Texans at home today, 23-20, bringing their four-game winning-streak to a halt and dropping them to 7-8 with one game left to play.

The story of the day, of course, was the four interceptions by quarterback Jameis Winston, who brought his league-leading total up to 28. Depending on what happens next week in the season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, Winston could end up throwing for over 5,000 yards with 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. (Talk about a crazy season.)

While Winston did have to play today’s game with a fractured thumb and without his top two receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the quarterback would not make excuses in his postgame presser.

To his credit, Winston took responsibility for the turnovers. And, as you can tell from his tone and body language, nobody seems more frustrated about his performance today than him.

The good news for Winston is that the Buccaneers are planning to bring him back in 2020. But, correcting his turnover problem will be priority one in the offseason for Arians and Byron Leftwich. You can have the most talented team in the league, but if your quarterback throws 30 interceptions in one season, you aren’t getting to the playoffs.

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Report: Buccaneers slated to bring back Jameis Winston in 2020

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to bring back franchise quarterback Jameis Winston in 2020.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport is reporting what many people have expected to hear for the past month, which is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will bring quarterback Jameis Winston back for the 2020 season.

Winston, the former first overall pick of the Bucs back in 2015, came into the 2019 season playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. The team wanted to see how Winston would perform playing for new head coach and quarterback guru Bruce Arians before committing to him beyond this season.

Arians, himself, deflected questions about Winston’s future just the other week, but given how the Bucs — and Winston in particular — have played over the past month, it’s not surprising to hear the team will bring him back for at least one more season. Last week, Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 450 yards in back-to-back games.

But, as Rapoport reports, it remains to be seen by what mechanism Winston is brought back. He explains the possibilities of both the franchise tag and transition tag when it comes to two of Tampa Bay’s biggest free agents, Winston and Shaq Barrett.

“The franchise tag for QBs is projected to be about $27 million, while the transition tag would be $25 million. For a linebacker, the franchise tag is slated to be almost $16 million, while the transition should be almost $14 million. Barrett may also argue (as Clowney did) that he plays more defensive end and deserves a more expensive tag. Do not discount the transition tag for Winston. Both tags are an option, but the transition tag is a potentially intriguing one.”

Either way, it sounds like Winston did enough to convince the team to roll the dice on him one more time.

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Jameis Winston’s early interceptions against Texans may actually be a good thing

Find out why Jameis Winston throwing two early picks against the Texans may be good for the Buccaneers in the long run.

Yes, Jameis Winston threw an interception on the team’s opening drive again. Yes, it was returned for a pick-six. And, yes, he threw another pick on Tampa Bay’s next drive.

But, hey, he still deserves a new contract, right? Apparently, so.

While Winston looks like he’ll be back in Tampa next year, the team better hope he can fix his turnover problem. He has 26 interceptions on the year. But, as frustrating as that may be for Bucs fans, there’s some good news to be had, too.

Take a look.

So, while the Bucs may still have a shot at winning today against the Texans, the stats on Winston should certainly make the Bucs wary about offering him any long-term deal.

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If Jameis Winston returns in 2020, he has Blaine Gabbert to thank

Jameis Winston could be back with the Bucs next season. But, would that be the case if Blaine Gabbert stayed healthy?

The regular season is winding down for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and at 7-7 they will miss the playoffs for the 12th-straight season.

But, the Bucs still have a lot to play for. If they win out, they’ll finish 9-7 for their first winning record since 2016. For a team that was 3-7 just last month, riding a six-game winning-streak into the offseason would be a great way to finish out the year.

For quarterback Jameis Winston, the past month has gone a long way in convincing the Bucs that he deserves at least one more year playing for Bruce Arians. While Winston has thrown a league-leading 24 interceptions, he also has 30 touchdown passes and is on pace to surpass 5,000 passing yards. And, after his 458-yard day against the Detroit Lions in Week 15, Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 450 or more yards in back-to-back games. (He had 456 against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 14.)

Winston’s improved play over the past month has helped his case to remain the team’s quarterback. But, that may not have been the case had quarterback Blaine Gabbert remained healthy.

It’s easy to forget that Gabbert, a former first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was signed in the offseason to be Winston’s backup. Gabbert had played under Arians during the coach’s time with the Arizona Cardinals, so he had a familiarity with the offensive system. But, Gabbert injured his non-throwing shoulder in the third preseason game and ended up on IR shortly after.

Had Gabbert not been injured, you have to believe that he would’ve gotten a chance at some point this season to relieve Winston. Let’s go back to Week 6 in London, for example. Winston ended up throwing five interceptions in a loss to the Carolina Panthers in what was easily the worst performance of his professional career. The Bucs went into the bye week before traveling to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 8.

That would’ve been the best time to have Gabbert replace Winston as starter. Gabbert would have had the bye week to prepare, and, best of all, he played for the Titans in 2018, meaning he likely had a good feel for what the defense would try.

If Bruce Arians was looking for a spark, that would’ve been the time to try and make a switch. Look what happened after the Titans replaced Marcus Mariota with Ryan Tannehill. The Titans went from the doldrums of the AFC to playoff contenders under Tannehill. While there’s no way to say that would’ve been the case for the Bucs if Gabbert came in, you have to believe Arians would’ve at least given him a shot at some point, given the way Winston has struggled at times. But, with Gabbert unavailable and the team unwilling to turn to Ryan Griffin, Arians stuck with Winston through the good times and bad.

And, as the past month has shown, that decision by Arians looks to finally be paying off.

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Jameis Winston is on pace to throw the fourth-most yards in a season

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has a shot at history over the final two weeks of the 2019 regular season.

Coming into 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking for clarity on the future of their quarterback Jameis Winston. The Bucs picked up Winston’s fifth-year rookie option without offering an extension, wanting instead to see how the quarterback would perform in his first year under QB guru Bruce Arians.

While things got off to a rocky start, Winston has played some of his best football to date over the past month. After last Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 450 or more yards in consecutive games.

With the big performance, Winston pulled his league-leading passing total to 4,573 yards, meaning he’s just 427 yards away from the exclusive 5,000-yard club. Not only is the Bucs quarterback now on pace to surpass 5,000, but he’s projected to finish the year with 5,226 yards. That total would be the fourth-most all time for a single season.

While it’s funny to imagine Winston’s name sitting among these three greats, you have to give the quarterback credit. Despite a league-leading 24 interceptions, Winston has also thrown 30 touchdowns and has proven he isn’t afraid to throw the ball, even if he gets picked on his first pass attempt.

You’d certainly feel more confident about Winston reaching 5,226 yards if he had his top two receivers on the field. Both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have suffered hamstring injuries that will sideline them for the rest of the year. Winston will be working with a cast of relatively unknowns this Saturday against the Houston Texans.

Fortunately, though, the Texans pass defense ranks 28th, surrendering an average of 266.1 yards per game. Considering how well Winston’s played lately, he could have a field day against Houston’s secondary.

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