Whenever Jameis Winston ends up signing his next NFL contract, he’ll have to do it knowing there is not an opportunity to start right away.
Last season as Winston continued to struggle as the starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a report emerged indicating teams were souring on the idea that the former No. 1 overall pick was starting material.
Doubling down on that, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report shared this past week that Winston “isn’t seen around the NFL as a starter.”
“Winston isn’t seen around the NFL as a starter, but he might be holding out hope for a situation where he can back up a starter who doesn’t have a strong hold on the job, much like Ryan Tannehill did on the Titans last year.”
Miller correctly noted that “there aren’t many of those jobs available with free agency largely wrapped up” and pontificated that Winston could be a backup to an “established quarterback in a good system as he attempts to rehabilitate the NFL’s image of him in a positive learning environment.”
Talent has never been something anyone has wondered about with the former Florida State star. He’s one of the most gifted pure passers in the NFL, and last year he led the league in passing (5,109 yards) while tossing 33 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also threw 30 interceptions, setting a dubious record in the process.
In the NFL, turnovers are often the difference between winning and losing. So, until Winston can prove he’s not going to give games away with his arm, he’ll likely remain a player teams don’t want to trust under center.