Getty Image
Bruce Arians had a pretty difficult decision to make during this NFL offseason regarding the future of his roster. On one end, he had a former No. 1 overall pick, Jameis Winston, who was coming off a season in which he led the league in passing yards (but also interceptions), and, at 26 years old, still has time to develop into a Pro Bowl caliber signal-caller. On the other end, there had been rumors about Tom Brady being interested in playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning the GOAT and his six Super Bowl rings could help rejuvenate a seemingly hapless franchise.
As we all know now, Arians chose the latter option, with the Bucs signing Brady to a two-year deal to land the biggest shark in the free agent pond. But with the decision came another question: What’s next for Jameis Winston?
To try and help answer that, Bruce Arians recently joined the Rich Eisen Show to talk about his outgoing starting quarterback, even going as far as saying that he’s called at least two NFL teams to vouch for Winston as both a player and person, while adding that nobody will outwork the former top pick — which is something the quarterback showed the other day by pushing an SUV and posting the video on social media. Take a listen below to hear Arians’ sales pitch.
Despite moving on from @Jaboowins for TB12, @Buccaneers head coach @BruceArians told @richeisen what he's doing for his former QB to assure Jameis Winston has a job in 2020: pic.twitter.com/84xMrLB4nZ
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 24, 2020
“You’re going to get one of the hardest workers you’ve ever had,” Arians said that he told a couple of teams. “Great young man. It didn’t work out for us only because Tom Brady was available.”
I’m sure this type of stuff happens all the time in the NFL, but regardless, props to Bruce Arians for stepping up and validating Jameis Winston’s character on and off the field. As we’ve seen recently with the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton — who was released this offseason by the team after nine years — divorces between player and franchise don’t always end like this, and can lead to a messy breakup after years of laying it on the line together.
The fact that Arians has the best interest in mind for Winston’s NFL future is pretty awesome, and it speaks to his character as a head coach and person. He has no reason to go to bat for his outgoing starter, but that he just thinks enough of the one-time Pro Bowler goes to show that there’s no hard feelings between the two, and that the decision to pursue and sign Brady was strictly business.