My good friend, Alex Chick III loves to call Jameis Winston a bust. He’s not a Super Bowl winning franchise quarterback but I still think Winston has gotten a bad rap. Tampa was going to bring back Winston but prioritized Tom Brady in free agency. If Brady doesn’t sign with the Bucs, Winston is probably back in Tampa. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht only had positive things to say about his former quarterback.
“We have a lot of respect for Jameis,” Licht said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN. “Jameis was still part of our plan if things went a different route. We’ve got a lot of respect for him. I thought he did a lot of great things, and anybody in our office or building would say the same thing. He did some spectacular things for us. I would never say that, personally — and I think I speak on behalf of the organization — that he’s a bust. I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
“It’s just . . . really comes down to we had a chance to get Tom Brady, and Tom Brady is a hell of a player, and we’re very excited about that,” Licht said. “I’m very confident that Jameis is gonna go on and get an opportunity. That’s not the last you’re gonna hear from Jameis.”
Personally, I think the Bucs made a huge mistake. It would be different if it was Brady from 3-5 years ago but that man is GONE. Brady was one of the worst quarterbacks in football. Jameis Winston isn’t bad, he’s just volatile. Good luck to the Bucs if they think they’re winning shootouts in 2020.
Here is the part that I don’t understand. Why not just re-sign Winston? It’s a hell of a backup plan. What happens if Brady is totally shot? That’s too big of a risk to take. I don’t see the downside in bringing Jameis back even if it’s just to learn from Brady. It’s not like Brady has a lot of playing time left in him anyway.
