Tag: winston bucs

ESPN ranks Tom Brady as the second-biggest position upgrade of the NFL offseason

See why ESPN ranked Tom Brady replacing Jameis Winston as the second-biggest position upgrade of the 2020 offseason.

Tom Brady ended his 20-year run with the New England Patriots this offseason and chose to begin a new chapter with the Bucs.

Brady will take over an offense that ranked tied for third in the league in scoring last season and has some serious offensive firepower with receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and tight ends O.J. Howard and Rob Gronkowski.

The Bucs limped to a 7-9 finish last season, but are hoping Brady’s winning ways will follow him to the Sunshine State. ESPN’s Mike Clay seems to like the Brady move, and ranked it as the second-biggest position upgrade of the 2020 offseason.

Here is part of Clay’s reasoning.

“In some ways, this one is obvious. Brady is arguably the greatest player in NFL history, and he has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, as well as 17 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins. In others ways, it’s not, as Brady is now 43 years old and coming off arguably his worst season, a campaign in which he trailed Winston in yardage, touchdowns and yards per attempt and was nearly identical in completion percentage and off-target rate… Brady might not be as explosive, but he will help Tampa Bay toward its goal of reaching the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history.”

I don’t think anyone would argue against the Brady signing. The Bucs have chosen to put all their eggs in this one basket, hoping the future Hall of Famer can deliver a championship in the next two years.

Winston, as we know, ended up in New Orleans with the Saints on a one-year deal. He’ll get to sit and learn behind Drew Brees, and will get to welcome his former Bucs team to the Superdome in Week 1.

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Tom Brady and Jameis Winston’s seasons both had eerily similar endings

Both Tom Brady and Jameis Winston’s 2019 seasons ended on a sour note.

Jameis Winston had a season for the ages in 2019, both good and bad. While the former Heisman Trophy winner became just the eighth quarterback in league history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, he also became the first player ever to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season.

Winston’s 30th pick may have been the worst of all, and not just because it pulled him to the infamous 30-INT mark. It came in overtime of the Bucs’ Week 17 game against the Atlanta Falcons, on the very first play, and was taken to the house for the game-winning score by linebacker Deion Jones. It would be Winston’s last pass attempt as the Bucs quarterback. The team went out and signed Tom Brady and Winston eventually landed with the New Orleans Saints.

But Winston wasn’t the only one whose season ended because of a pick-six. Brady, himself, saw his final throw as a Patriot get picked and taken back for a touchdown in New England’s wild-card loss to the Tennessee Titans. It’s funny how things work out.

Take a look now at those final plays below.

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Saints DE Cameron Jordan goes crazy on Twitter over the Jameis Winston news

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan took to Twitter to show his excitement about Jameis Winston coming to New Orleans.

With Jameis Winston looking as though he’ll be joining the New Orleans Saints, he should be happy to know that one of his new teammates seems to be celebrating the news like crazy on Twitter.

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who has had some up close and personal encounters with Winston when the Bucs and Saints have squared off, took to social media to show his excitement about Winston joining him in New Orleans.

Take a look.

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Report: Jameis Winston and Saints finalizing 1-year deal

Former Bucs QB Jameis Winston appears to be headed to New Orleans to join Drew Brees and the Saints.

Now that the 2020 NFL draft is over, it appears as though former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is finally about to find a new team. And, it’s one he’s familiar with: the New Orleans Saints.

Like Gerald McCoy last year with the Carolina Panthers, Winston will be joining an NFC South rival of the Bucs. The former number one overall pick will join Drew Brees and Taysom Hill. The Saints lost backup Teddy Bridgewater to the Panthers in free agency, so Winston can slide right into that role.

It may not be the ideal situation for Winston in the short-term since he probably was hoping to land a starting job somewhere. But, with no starting gigs available this is as good as it gets. He won’t have to move far from home and will get to learn behind one of the best quarterbacks ever. Plus, he’s still only 26, so has a chance to earn another big contract down the road. Refining his game a little more in New Orleans will hopefully pay off for him.

Best of luck to Winston.

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Jameis Winston posts motivational message on Instagram amid coronavirus pandemic

Former Bucs QB Jameis Winston took to his Instagram recently with an inspiring message for people in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting people around the world. With much of society quarantined or practicing social distancing, it’s a hard time for people and families alike.

Often times we’ve turned to sports as a way of comfort and escape during times of stress, but even professional athletes are finding themselves in the midst of this crisis.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who himself is dealing with the pandemic situation while also trying to find a new NFL team now that Tom Brady is the man in Tampa , took to his Instagram the other day to try and inspire hope in people and keep them going.

Take a look.

Winston may not be the man in Tampa Bay anymore, but he’s still keeping his head high and maintaining a positive attitude. Some of his former Bucs teammates have even said they refrained from celebrating the Brady signing initially on social media out of respect for their former quarterback.

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Jameis Winston’s turnover-filled December sealed his fate

See what Bruce Arians had to say about former quarterback Jameis Winston’s play down the stretch last season.

At this time last year, the Buccaneers were all-in on quarterback Jameis Winston, who was entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. Despite off-the-field issues and inconsistent play on the field, the Bucs were convinced the former number one pick could turn things around. To help him, they even convinced quarterback guru Bruce Arians to come out of retirement to coach Winston.

Fast-forward 12 months and Winston is now looking for a new home, while the Bucs prepare to usher in the start of the Tom Brady era. So, what went wrong exactly for Winston? Well, the turnovers certainly didn’t help, including those 30 interceptions he put up.

In his piece today looking at what went wrong for Winston in Tampa, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times quoted Arians, who said Winston’s turnover-filled December, namely those final two games, ultimately sealed his fate.

Per Arians:

“I think it was that regression in those last two ballgames after he had made so much progress. You don’t throw for 5,100 and (33) touchdowns and not have any talent. Those numbers are amazing in themselves. Those turnovers in December made us look to see if there was something better behind Door No. 2. We owed that to our owners and the rest of our football team to see, not thinking it was going to be Tom Brady.”

Winston had 10 interceptions over the final four games, including a pick-six in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 that ended the Bucs’ season.

In Stroud’s piece, Arians went on to prove that Winston wasn’t really in the cards, at least realistically, for the Bucs this offseason when it came to their plan at quarterback. “(Winston) didn’t work out for us only because Tom Brady was available,” Arians said. “And we had Teddy Bridgewater if that wouldn’t have worked out. If not, we were going back full steam with Jameis.”

Bridgewater landed with the Carolina Panthers, meaning he’ll get his shot to go up against Brady and the Buccaneers twice next season. The NFC South is going to be must-watch football, even without the unpredictable and entertaining play of Winston.

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Ronde Barber says Bruce Arians isn’t ‘mincing words’ when it comes to Jameis Winston

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Ronde Barber recently talked about the QB situation with the Bucs and how Bruce Arians views it.

As teams prepare for the start of NFL free agency on March 18, it’s imperative to have a strategical approach. For the Bucs, who have a lot of cap space to play with this offseason, the question will be which positions, and players, take precedence.

With Shaq Barrett likely the biggest Buccaneer slated to be a free agent, it seems the two sides are hoping to avoid the franchise tag and work out a long-term extension. But, another big question for the Bucs will be what to do with quarterback Jameis Winston.

The former Heisman Trophy winner’s 2019 season was a memorable and exciting one to watch (if you aren’t a Bucs fan or fantasy football owner that is). Winston threw for 5,109 yards, becoming just the eighth quarterback in league history to do so, but he also had 30 interceptions to go along with his 33 touchdown passes. With guys like Philip Rivers and Tom Brady slated to hit the open market, Tampa Bay could very well try and add an experienced veteran rather than bring Winston back.

Head coach Bruce Arians spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine the other week about the team’s quarterback situation, seemingly implying that the Bucs already know what they’re going to do. And, for those fans thinking Arians was just puffing and trying to gain leverage in possible negotiations with Winston and his agent, former Buccaneer great Ronde Barber thinks otherwise, as he said recently on 820 AM in Tampa.

Per Barber:

“Look, I’ve known Bruce for a long time, he’s known me my entire life. What he says, he’s not mincing words. That’s the way I can say it… If you’re looking at the one piece where you can make leaps and bounds, it’s quarterback… Jameis is the guy that goes to a table and puts half his money on red and half his money on black. What are you gettin’ from him, you know? It’s hard to win that way.”

No one is going to argue that Winston didn’t struggle mightily at times last season, but as former quarterbacks have pointed out, learning Bruce Arians’ system takes time. The Bucs may think Winston has hit his ceiling, but rolling the dice one more year on the former FSU star could pay bigger dividends than bringing in a new QB through free agency or the draft to learn Arians’ system all over again.

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One ESPN writer says the Steelers are the perfect fit for Jameis Winston

See what Matt Bowen of ESPN feels the Pittsburgh Steelers offer the best scheme fit for quarterback Jameis Winston.

It seems Jameis Winston can’t enter an offseason without dealing with the hassle of questions surrounding his NFL future. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, who threw for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in 2019, is set to become a free agent, and whether or not the Bucs will retain him is one of the NFL’s biggest offseason stories.

Reports have had veteran quarterbacks like Philip Rivers or Tom Brady coming to Tampa Bay to replace the former Heisman Trophy winner, and the other week Peter King of NBC Sports wrote about how he really wanted Winston to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, Matt Bowen of ESPN is hopping aboard the Winston-to-the-Steelers bandwagon, writing about how Pittsburgh offers the best fit schematically for Winston.

Per Bowen:

“Considering the number of veteran quarterbacks on the market, Winston could have to take on a No. 2 role in 2020. That’s why I’m looking at Pittsburgh on a one-year deal, where Winston would settle for a backup role to Ben Roethlisberger for Mike Tomlin’s team. Given Roethlisberger’s injury history, it would allow the Steelers to upgrade the depth chart with a backup quarterback carrying legit starting experience. And the 26-year-old Winston could restart his career and work on his game.”

If Winston is truly willing to accept a backup role — at least for a year — Pittsburgh could be a prime destination. It’s a strong organization with a great head coach, and Winston could learn a thing or two from Roethlisberger, a former Arians pupil.

Bowen also goes on to say that Teddy Bridgewater would be a great fit for the Buccaneers, should they move on from Winston. The Bucs got an up close look at Bridgewater last season in Week 5, when the Saints backup filled in for an injured Drew Brees and torched the Bucs for 314 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-24 win.

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Jameis Winston is third on ESPN’s ranking of 2020 NFL free-agent quarterbacks

See what Mike Clay of ESPN had to say about Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston and his impending free agency.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston had a well-documented 2019 campaign, throwing for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. It was a roller-coaster ride to say the least, but one thing Bucs fans can never say is that the team was boring to watch this year.

All jokes aside, Winston’s future may have already been decided if Bruce Arians is to be believed. Winston could find himself back in Tampa Bay when it’s all said and done, or he could hit the open market as a 26-year-old quarterback coming off a 5,000-yard season. Turnovers aside, the talent and potential of Winston could very well entice teams to offer him a big-money contract.

According to Mike Clay of ESPN, Winston is the third-best QB free agent hitting the market, behind only Dak Prescott and Tom Brady, respectively.

Per Clay:

“The 2015 first overall pick has developed into the league’s ultimate boom/bust player, with the uncanny ability to seemingly lose the game on one play but win it on the next. Winston obviously has tremendous ability, but any team that brings him on will absolutely need to find a way to cut his turnovers in half (at least). Winston’s upside should be attractive to teams stuck in quarterback purgatory.”

Personally, I really want to see Winston back in Tampa Bay, mainly because I’m curious as to how he’ll perform in Year 2 under Arians. Plus, if he’s going to have a redemption story, it’d be great if he did it with the team that drafted him. Right?

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Jameis Winston undergoes LASIK surgery to correct vision

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston recently got surgery to correct his nearsightedness, this after throwing 30 INTs in 2019.

I’ll preface this by saying I really, really love this story.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times has reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who threw for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions this past season, recently had LASIK surgery to correct his nearsightedness, something he’s dealt with since at least his days at Florida State. It was also something head coach Bruce Arians pointed out in his final press conference of 2019.

“He can’t read the scoreboard but he can see the guys in front of him. So he’s alright.”

It’s unknown whether or not the decision to get the surgery was Winston’s or came at the request of the team. One thing is for sure, if the team asked him to do it that’s a good indication of their intention to bring him back. Why bother asking a guy to get LASIK only to send him off new and improved to another team?

As for Winston, anything to help his game right now is worth pursuing. He’s got immense talent and seems on the cusp of putting it together. Fans can only hope that Winston gets a second year under Bruce Arians. Many former quarterbacks think he’s poised for a massive Year 2.

Plus, he can see now! How great would it be if this fixes everything?

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