Buccaneers: Jameis Winston leaves Tampa as most polarizing figure

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans will always have extremely strong opinions when it comes to the former No. 1 overall draft pick.

It was five years of time that many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans will never want to remember. It was also five years of time that many Buccaneers fans will never forget.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, there was an attitude of hope in the air among fans. Winston had one of the best seasons in the history of College Football in 2013 when he won the Heisman Trophy and followed that up with a solid performance in 2014.

Winston was seen as the consensus No. 1 overall pick and a quarterback who could come in and immediately make an impact with an NFL franchise.

That didn’t necessarily play out as many would’ve liked to have seen.

Over the course of his five seasons with the Buccaneers, Winston had just a 28-42 overall record and finished throwing 121 touchdowns to just 88 interceptions.

The perfect picture of Winston’s polarity can be seen in his final season in Tampa Bay. Though the quarterback threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns, he also threw for a league-leading 30 interceptions.

As the 2020 offseason unfolded, Bucs fans were on two different sides of the specturm when it came to Winston. Many believed he deserved another chance and were excited about the prospect of him leading the team to the postseason moving forward. Others thought the franchise should move on from him no matter what. Still, some remained somewhere in the middle.

The Buccaneers made their position official a little more than a month ago when they signed QB Tom Brady, confirming that they would move on from the player who they had entrusted to lead their franchise just a few years prior.

Not only did we see Tampa Bay move on from Winston, we also ended up seeing Winston sign a one-year deal for just $1.8 million with the New Orleans Saints- the Bucs’ NFC South division rivals.

Winston will leave the Buccaneers organization as potentially the most polarizing figure in the history of the franchise. He did a lot of good things off-the-field that made fans fall in love with him. He showed promise on-the-field that made people believe he had potential to be great- and many still believe he will.

He also showed immaturity at times, coupled with inconsistency on-the-field.

Many will continue to love him. Many will continue to hate him.

Either way you look at it, Jameis Winston leaves Tampa as a polarizing figure who will forever unmask mixed emotions among the Bucs fanbase.