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As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get set to part ways with Jameis Winston, these five teams should be ready to take a chance on the former No. 1 overall pick.
After deciding to only pick up his fifth-year option, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put the writing on the wall for Jameis Winston last season. They got some good, with a league-leading 5,109 passing yards and 33 touchdowns (second in the league), and a fair chunk of bad with a league-high 30 interceptions.
Reports have wavered back and forth a bit on Tampa Bay’s desire to keep Winston, but head coach Bruce Arians has been a prominent voice hinting at moving on. Now, via his Football Morning in America column, Peter King of NBC Sports has reported the Buccaneers are likely to move on from Winston.
Even in a loaded quarterback market, via free agency and trade possibilities, Winston will have some suitors. He played through thumb and knee issues that have since been surgically repaired, and he also had LASIK surgery to fix his vision. The physical talent is there, and always has been, it’s just a matter of fixing long-running turnover issues and learning to take less unnecessary risk.
As Winston moves to the open market, these five teams should be ready to take a chance on the 2015 No. 1 overall pick.
5. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders can move on from Derek Carr pretty easily this offseason, via release or more ideally if they can find a trade partner. The tepid endorsements from general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden confirms they will part with Carr if they can, and there will be plenty of options out there.
The Raiders are a prominent rumored suitor from Tom Brady, with Philip Rivers and Ryan Tannehill as other free agent options that look like a possible fit. Winston belongs on that list too. A quarterback musical chairs that’s sure to move quickly may ultimately leave the Raiders with Carr still in place, and Winston with minimized options.
It’s hard to say Winston is a major upgrade over Carr, and it’s possible a competition for the starting job could take place. But a better plan for Raiders here is to part with Carr, sign Winston to a one or two-year deal and still draft a quarterback in the first round of April’s draft.