Ranking every Buccaneers starting quarterback since 1990
By Josh Hill
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. 2015-2019. 4. player. . 28-42 | 120 TDs, 86 INTs. Jameis Winston. Jameis Winston. 48. 4
- Pro Bowler (2015)
- 2nd in AP Rookie of the Year (2015)
So much of the Jameis Winston experience was subjective, but as we get further and further away from it things start to look not as bad as they felt while in the thick of it.
To be clear, the Winston era was not a success but it wasn't the total failure it seemed to be at the time. Getting Tom Brady and winning a Super Bowl a year after moving on from Winston helps soothe the wounds, and we'll reach enough distance from it that we'll remember that scars are cool and Winston was a lot of fun to watch.
Was he good? Let's not ruin this by thinking too hard about it.
There's no denying that Jameis was good at throwing that ball, the problem was it went both ways. He was really good at throwing it to his own teammates, but almost as good at throwing it to the other team. Nothing epitomized this more than his final season in Tampa Bay when he achieved an infamous 30-touchdown, 30-interception season; cliff note readings of Winston's time in Tampa Bay can be summed up with his first and last throw in a Bucs uniform, both being pick sixes.
In between though, there was a lot of fun to be had. Say what you will about him, but Winston never kept the Bucs out of high-scoring games and oftentimes was the reason they were in them. Again, that could be because of his 400-plus yard games or his countless interceptions, but that's just part of the ride.
To be fair, for as much as we all make about his uncanny ability to throw to the wrong team, Winston finished his career in Tampa Bay with 34 fewer interceptions than touchdowns. He never led the Bucs to the playoffs but he also never made them uninteresting to watch. His legacy with the team is no doubt complicated, but his numbers remain some of the best we've seen in franchise history and there will come a time when he finds a place in our hearts, even if he won't be finding a place in the Ring of Honor.