Tampa Bay Buccaneers sticking with Jameis Winston is no surprise

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like a team that would have loads of storylines following it going into the 2019 offseason.

It starts with the odds that head coach Dirk Koetter will be fired, which would be it the fourth head coach who has tried and failed to elevate the team to the playoffs since Jon Gruden retired in 2009. Finding his replacement and possibly one for the GM who hired him figures to be an intriguing development. The same would’ve been said for their quarterback position too.

Up until a few weeks ago, it looked like Tampa Bay was on course to finally cut ties with Jameis Winston after a wild roller coaster few years in which he’s had high moments, low moments, and rock bottom moments. However, it appears according to Adam Schefter of ESPN that his late surge that has seen him throw seven touchdowns to just two interceptions over the past five games was enough to convince the team to keep him around another year.

"“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers intend to bring back quarterback Jameis Winston as their starter for the 2019 season, league sources told ESPN.Despite his suspension this season and some inconsistent play, the Buccaneers believe that Winston is the right man for the job and the right quarterback to get behind, according to sources.”"

It’s not like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had many alternatives

The reality is the Buccaneers were in no position to make a change anyway. They won’t have a high draft pick to possibly secure a new starter and the market for quarterbacks in 2019 is looking painfully thin. Only Teddy Bridgewater and Nick Foles could be considered probable free agents who can become starters while the upcoming draft class already lost two of its most notable names with Justin Herbert returning to Oregon and Kyler Murray electing to play baseball.

So unless the Buccaneers were willing to take a gamble on a Dwayne Haskins or a Daniel Jones, the safer decision was to bite the bullet and give Winston another year to see if he’s finally figured it out. Perhaps with a new head coach and a new offensive system, things can be take off as hoped. The team has the weaponry in place to be effective. It’s a matter of him learning to play efficiently while also staying out of trouble.