Home » Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick up Jameis Winston’s fifth year option

Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick up Jameis Winston’s fifth year option

Jacob Gilbert

Publish Date: April 19, 2018

On Tuesday, April 17, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up the fifth-year option of quarterback Jameis Winston ahead of the May 2 deadline. Winston, who is coming off a disappointing season which was tainted by injury. However, he is still only 24 years old. The fifth-year option will pay Jameis Winston $20.922 million in the 2019-2020 season. All $20.922 million of the option are guaranteed for injury. His current salary going into the fourth year of his rookie deal is $8.066 million.

Jameis Winston’s performance so far has the Buccaneers staff optimistic

Mike Evans makes the catch of the year. Photo from USA Today Sports

After becoming the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, Winston has shown flashes of being the player everyone thinks he can be. He can make any throw on the field, has excellent football I.Q., exceptional touch, accuracy and seems to have a clutch factor that cannot be measured. Jameis is clearly a gifted quarterback. In fact, he is the second fastest quarterback to reach the 10,000 yard mark, behind only Drew Bledsoe.

However, Winston is plagued by inconsistency and his aggressive gunslinger mentality can sometimes get him into trouble. This is evidenced by his 69 career touchdowns but 44 career interceptions.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing everything they can to surround Winston with a strong supporting cast to help expedite his development. They locked up big-bodied reciever Mike Evans until 2023 with a five year $82.5 million contract extension. In addition restricted free agent Adam Humphries signed his tender offer. This means Winston’s favorite slot target will be back in 2018, as well as both Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and standout rookie Chris Godwin.

What to expect in the future from Tampa Bay?

Winston will receive a huge contract extension at some point before the end of next offseason. Chances are it will be somewhere in the range of Jimmy Garrapolo’s five years $137.5 million contract, with $71.1 million guaranteed. In addition, the Buccaneers will continue fortifying their offensive line, even after signing center Ryan Jenson in free agency. Expect Tampa to address their offensive line in the draft to provide even more help to Winston as it was rated 17th in the NFL last year.