Tag: jameis winston steelers

Marc Sessler calls Jameis Winston the ‘riskiest free agent of 2020’

See why Marc Sessler over at NFL.com thinks Jameis Winston could be a risky acquisition for any team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t been to the postseason since 2007, but given all the chatter surrounding the club as we approach free agency, you’d think they were already Super Bowl favorites heading into 2020.

That’ll happen when a guy like Tom Brady is linked to your team. While Tampa Bay can still opt to bring Jameis Winston back, those 30 interceptions make it hard to justify paying the former number one overall pick, even if it is just on a one-year deal.

Winston could very well be done in Tampa Bay, and according to Marc Sessler over at NFL.com, Winston is the riskiest free agent of 2020. Even if the Bucs don’t bring him back, Sessler thinks it will be hard for the former Heisman Trophy winner to find work as a starter in 2020.

Per Sessler:

“With a record-setting seven pick-sixes in 2019, Winston appears to be done in Tampa — with the Bucs reportedly hot to trot for Brady — and realistically out of rope as a starting NFL quarterback. No franchise can sell Winston as a QB1 due to his perilous ball security. The risk is reduced in a backup role, but that scenario screams for some under-fire coach turning to Jameis in, say, Week 7 — and suffering the consequences.”

If Winston is destined to be a backup in 2020, there are several experts, including Peter King of NBC Sports, who feel he could benefit from sitting for a year behind a guy like Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. Winston would get a chance to learn from Big Ben — another Bruce Arians protege — and inherit the starting job once Ben calls it a career. Plus, he’d be coached by Mike Tomlin, one of the most respected, no-nonsense coaches in the league.

It might not be the ideal situation for Winston in the short term, but long term, it could pay big dividends.

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Peter King ‘really wants’ Jameis Winston to sign with the Steelers

Find out why Peter King thinks Jameis Winston and the Pittsburgh Steelers would be a good fit in free agency.

You read that headline right, folks. (Man, isn’t the NFL offseason great?)

While Jameis Winston certainly had a tumultuous 2019 season, the idea of him signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as NBC Sports’ Peter King wants, seems a little far fetched.

Despite throwing for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions last season, Winston’s future with the Buccaneers is cloudier now than when the season started. The team likely wants to see what’s available in free agency before making a commitment to Winston one way or the other. So, if Winston does end up leaving the bay, could Pittsburgh really be in the cards?

It definitely sounds like a crazy idea, but the more you hear King talk about it in his “Football Morning In America” column, the more sense it seems to make for both the Steelers and Winston.

Per King:

“I think I really want the Steelers to sign Jameis Winston. Sit for a year, get him ready to conditionally succeed Ben Roethlisberger, and if the interceptions continue in 2021, he’s gone after one season. Risky, but the upside could be pretty great. Now, the contract would have to be one Winston would want to do; he’d likely have a chance to play sooner elsewhere if he leaves Tampa. I’m just talking about a coach-player relationship (Mike Tomlin-Winston) dynamic I’d like to see. Plus, I’d rather have Winston on the rebound than Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges or a draft pick that could be used in a wiser way.”

Would Winston really be willing to sit for a year just to have a shot at the Steelers job? That seems highly unlikely, but if the contract is sweet enough it could entice him to at least consider it.

Still, I’d say smart money is on Winston returning to Tampa Bay, at least for one more year.

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