TAMPA, Fla. — The only thing rivaling the buzz surrounding Tom Brady at last week’s NFL scouting combine? The fate of former first-overall draft pick and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.
While some reports suggest that Winston might already be on his way out, coach Bruce Arians is adamant about looking at other options before making a decision on the 26-year-old Winston, one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in the NFL. He threw for 33 touchdowns and a league-high 5,109 passing yards in his first year in Arians’ offense, but also had a damning 30 interceptions.
Winston’s picks set up 112 points for opponents, the most in the NFL, according to Elias.
“You’re going home when you lead the league in giveaways,” Arians said back in December. “You’re never going to play in the playoffs unless you’re playing for the Steelers in the ‘70s.”
Teams aren’t permitted to have discussions with the agents of players under contract with other teams, but a source told ESPN that the Bucs will be monitoring what happens with veteran quarterbacks Brady, Philip Rivers, Ryan Tannehill and Teddy Bridgewater.
“March 16, we’ll have a lot more clarity,” general manager Jason Licht said. That’s the beginning of the legal tampering period, although March 12 is the deadline to place a franchise tag on a player, which would also bring more clarity. “You hear things on the street, but you just wait for the dominoes to fall a little bit and you’re prepared for every scenario.”
The Bucs’ priority continues to be bringing back outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks last year, even if it means letting Winston test free agency. They believe Barrett is far too valuable to what they’re trying to build with Todd Bowles’ defense, which took major strides in the second half of the season, going from giving up 371.6 yards per game in Weeks 1-9 to 316.3 yards per game in Weeks 10-16.
“One is the sack leader. They’re hard to find. I know he wants to be in this defense,” Arians said of Barrett. “The other [Winston] is an unknown quantity to me still. I mean, 5,000 yards and [33] touchdowns is awesome. 30 interceptions. Can we win with Jameis? Hell yeah. I think there’s no doubt. But as a coach, a head coach, you’ve gotta decide: Is there a better option? And go see if there is.”
League sources told ESPN that Barrett’s agent Drew Rosenhaus isn’t giving any type of discount to the Bucs despite Barrett making it clear Tampa Bay is where he wants to be, and all signs are pointing toward the franchise tag, which would keep Barrett there another year.
If the new CBA is approved, the Bucs wouldn’t be able to use a second tag — a transition tag worth just over $24 million — on Winston. But the feeling around Indianapolis was, ‘Where else would Winston start if not Tampa Bay?’ and that he might not have much of a market.
While Winston is undeniably talented, front-office members and coaches are growing more frustrated with his interceptions. He might always be prone for about two a game as he struggles to account for linebackers in coverage. But picks on opening drives involving scripted plays with high-completion-percentage throws — those were more prevalent this year and could possibly be fixed after a full offseason of studying his own cut-ups.
“Nobody wants to say that they had six pick-sixes and seven interceptions on the first possession,” Licht said of Winston. “Of course that’s disappointing. But he can improve.”
When asked at the NFL combine if there was a sense of disappointment in not being able to figure out what he has in Winston, Arians said, “Oh yeah, a little bit. December wasn’t what I was hoping to see. There’s so many good things on the film. And I think they’re going to be corrected.”
One thing all of Arians’ players have said — including players he cut — is that they always knew where they stood with him. His motto: “The door’s always open. But you might not like what you hear.” Winston might not be happy that he hasn’t gotten a strong show of support publicly from Arians, but Arians is keeping things out in the open, and they still do text.
“I thought he progressed,” Arians said. “I would have hoped to see more. Some of those mistakes in those last three or four ballgames I would have liked to see erased. And hopefully they will be.”
The big question is, will Arians and his staff be the ones to help correct those mistakes? Since 1976, the Bucs have drafted 25 quarterbacks but never signed one to a second contract. They’ve also drafted three quarterbacks in the first round who have all gone on to win Super Bowls for other teams — Doug Williams, Steve Young and Trent Dilfer.
Both Arians and Licht have discussed the possibility of drafting a quarterback, although Arians has said he would like to have a clear starter versus an open competition, and he hopes to have an answer on that soon.
“If it’s the right guy at the right time,” Arians said. “I don’t think we want one that’s gonna be sitting on the bench for three years. If he is, he’s gotta come at the right time in the draft. And I think there are some guys like that — big upsides — in this draft.”
Licht added, “I don’t think you could expect any quarterback that you take in the draft to come in and be a savior in Year 1.”