Believe it or not, there was a point in time where Jameis Winston looked like a can’t-miss franchise quarterback prospect coming out of Florida State. While he has flashed glimpses of brilliance over the course of his five-year NFL career, Winston’s inconsistencies — particularly his tendency to turn the ball over — have prevented him from landing the type of massive, $100 million-plus contract that franchise quarterbacks typically command from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to select him.
Not only have the Bucs failed to make a commitment to Winston, they have also been mentioned as a possible landing spot for more than one free agent quarterback, and are actually the betting favorites to land future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers.
There is still a chance Winston could re-sign with Tampa Bay this offseason, of course, but this situation is trending towards a parting of ways.
Legendary NFL writer Peter King recently joined The Rich Eisen Show and laid out what he sees as the most likely destinations for Winston in free agency.
“I doubt sincerely he goes somewhere and somebody hands him a starting job,” King explained. “The place that I think would be so intriguing, I would love to see Jameis Winston go to Pittsburgh and backup Roethlisberger for this year, and then maybe have the job in 2021 and beyond. I mean, how great would it be?”
He’s played right now for Dirk Koetter, Bruce Arians, Byron Leftwich. He’s played for a bunch of offensive guys who have tried to fix everything around him. Maybe he just needs some tough love from a guy like Mike Tomlin. I don’t know, but obviously the coaching he’s gotten so far has not cut down his kryptonite, which is the turnovers and something’s got to be done about that.”
Another team King expects to be in play: The Las Vegas Raiders.
“Jon Gruden’s favorite quarterback is always the one he doesn’t have,” King said. “I think Vegas is definitely in play – and that’s for anybody. For Brady, for Jameis, whoever. I don’t know who Jon Gruden loves out there right now. I do know that it would have been very easy for the Raiders at some point late in the season or this offseason to say, ‘stop putting all these quarterbacks in Vegas. Derek Carr’s our guy, we’re not going to be looking at any other quarterbacks in the offseason.’ They haven’t said that.”
Personally, I don’t see the fit with Gruden and the Raiders, especially with Winston’s propensity to turn the ball over — he became the first quarterback in NFL history to join the 30-30 club (30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions), after all.
The Steelers on the other hand, make a lot of sense for the 26-year-old gunslinger.
More from The Woody Paige Sports Network:
- Report: All-Pro TE Greg Olsen signs with Seattle Seahawks
- Ranking the potential outcomes of Tom Brady’s impending free agency
- Jeremy Roenick shares legendary Michael Jordan gambling story
- Betting Odds For Where Philip Rivers Will Play In 2020
- Here’s who Vegas is picking to win the 2020 Masters
- Johnny Manziel takes shot at upstart XFL
- Adam Schefter: Tennessee Titans a threat to sign Tom Brady
