Colts: Here’s why interest in Jameis Winston shouldn’t worry Indy fans
By Mike Luciano
Jameis Winston has been one of the most unusual quarterbacks to enter the league. His amazing arm talent hasn’t been able to help him blossom into a star because of his cavalier attitude and willingness to fire the ball into coverage.
Despite his faults, Winston is attracting major interest on the free agent market, with the Indianapolis Colts reportedly looking to bring him in to upgrade over Jacob Eason in wake of Philip Rivers’ retirement.
According to the latest buzz, while the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears have interest in re-signing Winston, general manager Chris Ballard and the Colts are looking into potentially signing the former Heisman winner, national champion, and No. 1 overall pick after Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.
Along with the #Colts, the Chicago #Bears are another team with interest in Jameis Winston. #Saints also would like to keep him. He will have a market this offseason.
— Evan Massey (@massey_evan) January 31, 2021
Jameis Winston’s ceiling could be very enticing for the Indianapolis Colts
Winston, a legend at Florida State, entered his fifth year in Tampa Bay under a lot of pressure given his propensity for turning the ball over. What followed in his only season under Bruce Arians was one of the most confusing campaigns in NFL history. Winston topped 5,000 passing yards and fired 33 touchdown passes, but he became the first quarterback in decades to throw 30 interceptions in a season.
Winston is not the same quarterback he was in Tampa, however. After taking a year to learn under Drew Brees and Sean Payton in New Orleans, there’s reason to believe that he’s made major strides with regards to turning the ball over less.
If he lands with Indianapolis, he will join a very quarterback-friendly offense that operates behind an excellent offensive line and is directed by a coach in Frank Reich who won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles. This move would help the Colts get a tremendous downfield passing arm without as many of the backbreaking turnovers. Just 27, Winston doesn’t have a ton of mileage on his tires.
Winston can make every throw imaginable, and his downfield passing stands out as exemplary, but the turnover bug has put a hard cap on how successful he could’ve been with the Bucs. After studying abroad under Brees and Payton in New Orleans, Winston could challenge for another starting role with the Colts, who deploy a safe offensive system featuring a potent rushing attacked, spreading the ball around, and high-percentage passing attempts.
