Bruce Arians hinting at possible departure for Jameis Winston?

Is Arians backtracking?

The fact that Arians is now slow to sing the praises of Jameis seems almost hypocritical after so vehemently singing Winston’s praises for the whole season. Unfortunately for the former FSU quarterback this is not good news and does not bode well for Jameis’ future on the team.

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If Arians and the front office thought that Jameis Winston had the potential and could grow under Arians, BA would have said something more to the tune of “Jameis will certainly be on this team next year” as that could mean the Bucs were at least planning to franchise tag him. This lack of confidence shows that a contract is almost fully out of the question and a franchise tag is now even being debated.

Jameis is close to hitting the open market in the summer and that could either make his price tag go up or down depending on overall league interest. If the Bucs wanted to sign Winston to a contract they would have done so by now as that would be the cheapest option that they had for longevity. If the Bucs are most strongly considering a franchise tag and Arians has truly backed off of his support, Jameis’ future as a Buccaneer has become even more uncertain.

Even if the honeymoon phase has ended for Bruce Arians, Jameis may still hold his destiny in his hands. Winston has put together an impressive string of wins and still leads a team that could run the table. Assuming Winston plays the rest of the season the right way, there is a possibility that Bruce Arians could come back around.