Tag: winston free agency

Just call Jameis Winston the grill master

Former Bucs QB Jameis Winston fired up the grill on Sunday to celebrate the Easter holiday, and boy did it look good.

Former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston has been working his tail off to stay in shape and prove to NFL teams he’s worth taking a risk on. From workout videos to inspirational posts, Winston is keeping his head up as he searches for a new NFL team now that Tom Brady is the man under center in Tampa Bay.

But Winston took a break on Sunday to celebrate the Easter holiday with family and loved ones, from an in-house Sunday service to cooking up a mean-looking spread on the grill.

Take a look at some of the screenshots from Winston’s Instagram story. Honestly, if I was an NFL team, I’d sign Winston simply for his grilling skills alone.

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Gregg Rosenthal thinks the Patriots would prefer Cam Newton over Jameis Winston

See why Gregg Rosenthal believes the New England Patriots would be more willing to roll the dice on Cam Newton than Jameis Winston.

The NFL world is still processing the news that Tom Brady is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after officially ending his 20-year run with the New England Patriots.

The six-time Super Bowl champion will look to return the Bucs to the postseason for the first time since 2007, and his arrival will reignite a Bucs fan base ready for a return to the glory days.

But, let’s not forget that Brady’s arrival marks the end of Jameis Winston’s tenure with the Bucs. The former No. 1 overall pick is still without a home, and now that Teddy Bridgewater will be joining the Carolina Panthers, it seems that Cam Newton is also a quarterback lost in the wind.

So, could either one of them end up in New England to replace the Golden Boy? Gregg Rosenthal over at NFL.com pondered the Patriots’ quarterback situation, and suggested that if it came down to it, Newton may be the choice over Winston.

Per Rosenthal:

“The Patriots are perhaps the only team left without an expected starter, although second-year pro Jarrett Stidham is likely a bigger factor in Bill Belichick’s head than that of the public at large. Still, Belichick loves value. It would be a very Patriots-like move to pick up a former No. 1 overall draft pick at quarterback at a deep discount price. My instinct says that Josh McDaniels would rather come up with a new offense for Cam than trust Winston to avoid mistakes, but Belichick has options.”

It certainly doesn’t help Winston’s case that he threw for 30 interceptions in a contract year. With Bruce Arians throwing in the towel on the former Heisman Trophy winner, it might be hard for Winston to convince another franchise to hand over the reigns of their offense to him.

In all likelihood, Winston may have to settle for a backup role. But, as several media members have suggested, including Peter King of NBC Sports, that might not be such a bad thing if Winston were to wind up with an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sitting for a year and learning behind an experienced quarterback could pay dividends in the long run.

Unfortunately, for Winston, he won’t get the chance to sit behind Brady in Tampa Bay.

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Why Winston returning to the Bucs is the only logical thing for both sides

See why Dan Parr of NFL.com thinks Jameis Winston returning to Tampa Bay makes the most sense for both sides.

You remember Murphy’s Law, which states “anything that can go wrong will go wrong”? I feel like that law applies to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jameis Winston this season.

Entering the year, the front office hoped that the hiring of Bruce Arians would be just the thing to turn Winston’s career around, and hopefully give them clarity on whether or not he’s the long-term answer under center. But when the final whistle blew in Week 17, the team seemed further away from a decision than ever. That’s because Winston went out and had one of the most memorable seasons in recent memory. Not only did he surpass 5,000 passing yards, becoming just the eighth player ever to do so, but he also became the first quarterback ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season.

Winston was playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, so the Bucs can let him walk if they decide to go a different route. So, where would Winston rank among quarterbacks on the open market? In their ranking of the top 8 free agent quarterbacks, NFL.com has Winston listed at No. 7, ahead of only Marcus Mariota.

Here’s what writer Dan Parr thinks about Winston:

“Famous Jameis threw for a career-high 33 TD passes last season (second-most in the league). The problem is, he also hit the 30 mark in INTs, becoming the first 30-30 player ever. That’s not the kind of history you want to make. He continues to tease with some rapturous quarterbacking at times, but net-neutral QB play is not going to be enough for a team to be a consistent winner in this era of professional football. That’s right. It’s not going to lead to enough tasty Ws. The man is too often a victim of his own poor decision making to sniff the top tier.”

As for where he thinks Winston will ultimately end up landing this offseason, Parr says the only logical choice is Tampa Bay.

Per Parr (as fun to type as it is to say):

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it makes perfect sense for the Bucs to begrudgingly welcome Winston back on a one-year deal. Tampa Bay holds the 14th pick in Round 1, which most likely will put them out of range to land one of the top quarterbacks available in this year’s draft (SEE: Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft 1.0). Unless they plan to go all in on trading up to land one of those rookie passers, Winston will probably be their best option for 2020. Sorry, Bucs fans.”

I think there are more than a few Bucs fans who want to see Winston back in 2020. After all, several former quarterbacks, including Carson Palmer and Hall of Famer Steve Young, think Winston could have a big Year 2 under Bruce Arians.

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