The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in desperate need of a quarterback, and it looks like they may be enlisting the help of a very familiar face.
As the Buccaneers enter a new era with Tom Brady officially retired, the team is either going to go with what they have on the roster right now, or find a QB in the draft or free agency.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, they could look to one of their former quarterbacks in Jameis Winston to fill that void.
“It’s easy to forget that 2015 No. 1 pick James Winston was once poised to be the next big thing,” says Knox. “The former Buccaneers quarterback was a rookie Pro Bowler who helped produce a winning record in his second season.
However, Winston’s arm talent and passing prowess were overshadowed by a lack of winning—he went 28-42 with the Buccaneers—and a glaring interception problem. With the New Orleans Saints in 2021, the 28-year-old was better on both counts.
Though he started only seven games before suffering a torn ACL, Winston was very good. He passed for 14 touchdowns with only three interceptions while posting a career-best 102.8 rating. The prolific numbers he put up with Tampa Bay weren’t there (he averaged 167.1 yards per game), though, because the supporting cast was underwhelming.
Michael Thomas didn’t play in 2021 following ankle surgery, and the Saints passing attack languished. Marquez Callaway led New Orleans with just 698 receiving yards, while the Saints ranked dead-last in passing.
With Sean Payton having stepped down as head coach and New Orleans projected to be $76.2 million over the cap, a quick turnaround probably isn’t in the cards.
A team with weapons but no surefire starting quarterback such as the Pittsburgh Steelers or even Buccaneers—if Tom Brady retires—could give Winston an opportunity to restart his career. And if he can combine the ball security he showed in 2021 with his earlier downfield lethality, Winston could break out as a franchise signal-caller.”
Winston started at quarterback for the Saints in 2021, leading them to a 5-2 record, but would suffer a devastating torn ACL that ended his year.
Winston played out the 2019 season under the fifth-year option from his rookie contract as the team elected to not sign him back once it was clear that Tom Brady was headed to town. Winston signed with the Saints on a one-year, $1.1 million deal last year and returned to New Orleans on another one-year contract worth up to $12 million this past offseason.
Jameis Winston threw 19,737 yards, produced 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions in 72 games with the Bucs.
