Carson Palmer expects Jameis Winston to have ‘massive’ second season under Bruce Arians

Few quarterbacks know what it takes to adapt to Bruce Arians’ offense like Carson Palmer does.

Palmer was brought in by Arians when the coach took over the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. The veteran quarterback had a rough first season, throwing 22 interceptions to go along with 24 touchdowns. Palmer cut that total to three interceptions in six games the next season, then went 13-3 in 2015 while throwing 35 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.

That’s why Palmer believes Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston will be a huge success if Arians sticks with him going into 2020.

“I believe he’ll have a big jump if he’s back in Tampa with Bruce,” Palmer said Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show. “Mentally, it’s such a difficult offense. It is not easy. … It’s not a simple offense to just pick up and start off year one and go out there and have a Pro Bowl year. It takes years. It takes years for the quarterback, and it takes years for the guys outside.

“You need time, you need experience within that system, and that’s something you don’t have in year one. You need year one to go back and watch the film and see yourself doing it wrong and the receivers seeing themselves do it wrong, and then year two things really start to click. That chemistry starts to develop, and that trust, and that confidence in the offense starts to develop. If Jameis is back in Tampa, I would expect year two to be a massive year for him.”

Winston certainly has the physical gifts to be a great quarterback, but he’s fresh off a season that saw him throw 30 interceptions. That has to go down, and that will require adaptation. Palmer would know how hard Arians’ offense is to master, and he clearly did so after an iffy first season. The Buccaneers have to hope Winston will be a similar case, though the coach seemed to have some lingering doubts at the end of the season. Winston is facing free agency, but Tampa Bay is still considered likely to bring him back, potentially with the franchise tag.