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Quarterback Jameis Winston left the New Orleans Saints after four years of playing for the franchise as a backup, first for Drew Brees and later for Derek Carr. While he played in a few games for them, he never established himself as the starter and has now moved to the Cleveland Browns.
After joining his new team, there's a clear backup role waiting for him, as Deshaun Watson has a fully guaranteed contract and isn't going anywhere. Speaking about his role as a mentor, Winston shared a great message about what a teammate should be:
"The most important thing I believe is the relationship between me and Deshaun is in a place where it will continue to grow and flourish. And I just admire him as a person and indefinitely as a football player. I'll look forward to allowing him to lean on me for anything that he needs, and also encourage him and provide him with different resources that he probably hasn't gotten... I'm so excited to work with this young man and help him be what he is capable of being, and that has been one of the best quarterbacks in this league."
Jameis Winston: the quarterback who was not afraid to turn the ball over
When you start 16 games and throw 30 interceptions, that has to be a record - and it also says a lot about your play style. In 2019, Jameis Winston threw the ball, on average, 40 times a game.
He was careless with the ball, and he was going for the difficult pass no matter what. He threw for 5,109 yards that season, the highest in the league, and 33 touchdowns are nothing to scoff at. It's just that, when you turn the ball over at such a high rate, your team is going to suffer a lot.
There was one specific game that encapsulated this perfectly. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-35, a game where Jameis Winston threw four touchdowns, three interceptions and 456 yards. The Buccaneers won the game with a game-winning drive, but there were also dropped interceptions.
Tampa Bay finished the season 7-9. That year, Bruce Arians said that "We can win with this one, we can definitely win with another one, too". He was fed up with his quarterback, but that wasn't a problem for 2020, because, well, a certain Tom Brady joined the ranks.
