Bruce Arians Still Non-Committal on Jameis Winston's Future
In his fifth NFL season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has had yet another roller-coaster campaign, filled with big numbers of both the positive and negative variety.
Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, currently ranks No. 2 in the NFL in passing yards, trailing only Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, he also leads the NFL with 20 interceptions, already a career-high for a passer prone to turnovers throughout his career.
Playing in his option year, the fifth of his rookie contract, Winston is only under contract with the Bucs for the remainder of 2019, which appears likely to be just four more games.
Is he still the Bucs' quarterback of the future?
When asked Wednesday, head coach Bruce Arians reiterated that he plans to wait for the rest of the season to play out before making that decision.
"I'm gonna pass on that one," Arians said at his press conference on Wednesday. "I'm gonna wait until the end of December. There's been really, really, really good and there's been some really, really bad. I'm gonna pass until it's over and then we'll make a decision."
The Bucs have two options for bringing back Winston. They could sign him to a long-term extension, or use the franchise tag to keep him in Tampa Bay for at least one more season. Both options would have him making more money in 2020 than the nearly $21 million he's making this season.
Considering where Arians is in his coaching career, and the complexities of his offense, it would be surprising to see him move on from Winston after just one season, opting instead to start over with a new quarterback. Especially if the Bucs keep winning and take themselves out of the running for next year's best quarterback prospects in the draft, expect Winston to be back under center for Tampa Bay for at least one more year.
