Winston is a free agent in 2020. He is the only member of the 30/30 club – 30 TDs and 30 INTs. He also threw for over 5,000 yards. So, the question is, do the Buccaneers keep him? If yes, is it for a year on a franchise tag, or do they give him the multi-year, $30 million he is looking for? Let’s debate this for a little bit.

The Positives

Winston has the perfect offense for him. Arians needs a QB with a strong arm who isn’t afraid to sling it around. The proof is in the numbers…the good numbers anyway. Over 5,100 yards and 30 TDs is a great season. He had eleven 300+ yards games, including six in a row between Weeks 6 to 12. Another positive is that he is just 26 years old. The 2019 record-breaking season was just his fifth in the NFL. The prime years for QBs are usually the early 30s, so to think he can put up 5,000+ yards and not be in his prime yet, gives plenty to like.

The Negatives

Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room. Interceptions – 88 in his five-year career. That’s an average of over 17 per year. Last year’s numbers are by far the most; 30. These statistics are obvious and it’s the biggest concern for the Buccaneers organization. However, there is another statistic that is even more eye-popping, and that’s QBR. Winston’s QBR for 2019 was 84.3 – ranked 32 in the NFL. Players with a better QBR in 2019 include Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookies Gardner Minshew, Daniel Jones, and Kyler Murray. Now, that’s just last season. What about his career QBR. Well, that’s not much better. Winston’s career QBR is slightly better at 86.9. To put it into perspective, among active quarterbacks with over 50 games played, Winston ranks 21st.

The Verdict

When asked about potentially winning with another QB, head coach Bruce Arians stated, “With another quarterback? Oh yeah.” He continued, “We can win with this one, we can definitely win with another one, too…” That’s not exactly a vote of confidence from your head coach. It doesn’t help that not only does Winston want a $30 million per year contract, but that he also has said that he would be extremely unhappy with a franchise tag. Paying a guy one million dollars for each interception is unheard of. It doesn’t exist for a reason.

That’s why I believe that at the beginning of the 202 NFL season, Jameis Winston is not in a Buccaneers uniform. Winston had a great fantasy season, but as an NFL quarterback, it was a defining season in mediocrity. His career numbers are a 3/2 TD to Int ratio. That just doesn’t cut it in the NFL. It certainly doesn’t cut it with Bruce Arians.