After stringing together a great few weeks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jameis Winston is expected to return to the team in 2020.
The truest enigma, potentially in the entire National Football League, will be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news today, stating that the Bucs are expected to use some sort of tag on Jameis Winston this offseason in order to retain his services.
The two options for the Buccaneers this offseason, if the tag route is to be pursued, are to either franchise tag Winston or transition tag him. The franchise tag would give the Buccaneers one more year to see if Winston can continue on the path he has been on the last six weeks at a salary of the average of the top players at his position (estimated to be around $24.8 million in 2020).
The transition tag is a bit more complex as this tag still allows for the tagged player to negotiate with other teams. The transition tag is set at about $22 million in 2020 estimated, but teams would have the ability to attempt to lure Winston away; the Buccaneers would then have an opportunity to match any offer he would receive from another team.
The #Bucs are slated to bring back QB Jameis Winston for 2020, sources say. But how it happens — which tag — will be fascinating. My story: https://t.co/7MXeVva4RS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2019
This season, Winston has been on a roller coaster like no other seasons before; he has had games where he has thrown for close to 500 yards, including the last two. At other times, however, Winston has failed to protect the football, with four games of three interceptions or more.
It would appear that head coach Bruce Arians and company have seen enough of Jameis Winston in 2019 to allow for him to get another shot at a long term deal next season. This means there will be lots of fireworks, but also a ton of racing hearts as well.