Beleaguered Bucs GM: New Coach Must Accept Jameis Winston
As the coaching carousel spins in the NFL, potential candidates interested in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching job must meet one important requirement.
They must accept Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback.
Bucs General Manager Jason Licht made it clear this week that Winston is their guy, reported ESPN.
“Jameis is someone we hold in high regard here,” Licht said Monday. “There’s a lot to like about Jameis. He will be here next year. Based on the texts and phone calls and emails I’ve been getting since roughly 8 o’clock last night, I don’t think that’s gonna be an issue.”
The team is picking up Winston’s fifth-year option, worth $20.9 million.
Buccaneers intend to bring back Jameis Winston as their starting QB in 2019, per sources.https://t.co/Z7ywEBLuq2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 30, 2018
That’s a lot of faith in a player who has been inconsistent, missed time with injuries and was suspended for an off-the-field issue.
In the four years since he was picked first overall in the 2015 NFL draft, Winston has never played in a playoff game and had only one winning season.
This year he missed the first three games after he was suspended by the league for violating the personal conduct policy. Winston allegedly groped a female Uber driver in the offseason.
But his problems did not end there. He was benched in Week 8 in favor of backup Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Winston did regain his starting job in Week 12, but the Bucs lost their last four games and finished a disappointing 5-11. Coach Dirk Koetter was fired Sunday.
The BEST throws from Jameis Winston’s 4 TD day. ? #ATLvsTB pic.twitter.com/hLZcfFkYOa
— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2019
Team sources told ESPN that Winston and Koetter weren’t on the same page and a rift developed between the two.
The report said the Bucs are looking for a coach who can take Winston’s game to the next level.
“He’s done some amazing things for a young 24, turns-25-in-a-week quarterback,” said Licht, reported ESPN. “He accomplished more than most of the elite quarterbacks at his age.”
Winston finished the year with 2,992 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a passer rating of 90.2, 24th in the league.
“Obviously, we went through a lot at the beginning of this season (with) the suspension,” Licht said. “There was a lot going on in this organization that was tough for a lot of people to overcome. I saw him bounce back at the end of the year and play very, very good in my eyes and a lot people’s eyes for the condition that he was in. We have a lot of faith in him.”
Licht said the new coach will be someone from outside the organization and not a promotion or internal hire.
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