Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston an underachiever

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jameis Winston to be the face of the franchise in 2015, but he has underachieved each season.

Jameis Winston is the starting quarterback going into the 2019 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay picked up Winston’s fifth-year option on his rookie contract last year. Is he just an average quarterback because, for the first overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, he has underachieved each season.

Winston was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2013 as a redshirt freshman at Florida State. He played one more season before declaring for the draft. In college, he completed 562 passes for 7,964 yards with 65 touchdowns.

As a rookie, he started all 16 games to lead the Buccaneers to a 6-10 season. His career-best season was the following 2016 campaign. Winston completed 345 of 567 passes for 4,090 yards with 28 touchdowns but still threw 18 interceptions. His performance has fallen in recent years.

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Winston has missed eight games in the past two seasons. Last season, he started only nine games due to his personal issues and resulting suspension. He is facing a make-or-break 2019 season now.

Winston has a new head coach in Tampa with Bruce Arians taking over. There are three other quarterbacks on the current Buccaneers roster. Winston becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. Would Tampa Bay let him walk away?

Winston will earn $20.922 million in 2019, according to Spotrac. Remember, he was the top player taken in his draft class. Is it reasonable to ask if his overall career has been underwhelming? If you examine the quarterbacks selected after him, only Marcus Mariota is an NFL starter. Mariota has struggled with injuries in Tennessee. The other five quarterbacks are either out of the league or career backups.

Training camp is not far away from starting. Is it possible that the Buccaneers move Winston in a late summer deal? Would there be any takers for his services given his off-the-field baggage?

It’s safe to suggest that Winston had better have a tremendous season if he wants big money on his next contract. He has hinted that he is going to play at a heavier weight than last season. Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com reported the following:

"“I’m going to play bigger this year,” Winston said Saturday … “I’m about 250. Yeah. A solid 250. It’s just about hydration and being at the peak body, too.”"

He is getting heavier? Is he getting faster and quicker? Or, is it going to make him more difficult to get sacked? Winston must have his reasons to think that will make him play better.