The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may still bring Jameis Winston back in 2020, but it doesn’t sound like they’re terribly happy with how his season ended.
Winston ended 2019 with a pick-six in overtime to give the Atlanta Falcons a win. It was Winston’s 30th interception of the season, putting a big damper on a year that also saw him surpass 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.
After the loss, coach Bruce Arians was asked if the pick-six factored into the Buccaneers’ evaluation of their quarterback, and Arians gave a blunt answer.
When asked how Jameis Winston’s pick-six impacts his evaluation, Bruce Arians said, “It doesn’t help.”
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 29, 2019
Arians went further, stating that there is “so much good and so much outright terrible” about his quarterback.
Bruce Arians says “there’s so much good and so much outright terrible” in terms of evaluating Jameis Winston and the future.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) December 29, 2019
Winston will be a free agent this offseason. The Buccaneers will have to decide whether the good outweighs the bad here. The general consensus is that they are leaning toward keeping him, but Arians has disputed those reports. Arians’ quote here adds further evidence that they have yet to make up their minds — and Arians doesn’t seem sure enough that he’s the guy to give him a public vote of confidence right now.
