Report: Bucs ‘likely’ to stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick when Jameis Winston returns

Jameis Winston may have lost a lot more than a significant portion of his salary when the NFL suspended him for three games. If Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to play at a high level, Winston could find himself riding the bench for the foreseeable future.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that Fitzpatrick is “very likely” to remain the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback when Winston returns from his suspension. While team officials have not yet met to make an official decision, Fitzpatrick has been arguably the best quarterback in football through the first two games of the season. His performance and that of the team is impossible to ignore.

In two games, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 819 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He has a nearly-perfect passer rating of 151.5. The Bucs stunned the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 1 before beating the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at home last week.

One source told La Canfora the Bucs plan to take things “week to week” after Winston returns. There’s a chance Fitzpatrick could get just one more start in Week 4 since Tampa will have a short week after facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, but it’s going to be tough to take him off the field if the Buccaneers continue to win.

Winston recently had a lawsuit filed against him from the woman who says she was groped by him in an Uber car back in 2016. He has avoided charges, but the NFL still suspended him three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.