The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2020 offseason with one of the biggest personnel decisions in franchise history on their hands. Will they franchise tag, extend, or move on from starting quarterback Jamies Winston?
While the Buccaneers’ brass evaluates the play of Winston from 2019 and weigh other potential options, former three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and Arians disciple Carson Palmer expects a big second year from Winston should he remain in Tampa Bay.
“I believe he’ll have a big jump if he’s back in Tampa with Bruce. I really believe he’ll come back. It’s such a difficult, mentally, it’s such a difficult offense. It is not easy,” Palmer said on air Wednesday with NFL Network’s Rich Eisen.
He went on to say Tampa potentially had 300 to 400 plays on their play sheet going into games.
“It takes years. It takes years for the quarterback and it takes years for the guys outside.”
The former No. 1 overall pick went on to discuss the importance of getting that first year in the system on film and having the chance to evaluate mistakes and develop the chemistry and trust necessary to execute such a complex offensive system.
Palmer threw a career-high 22 interceptions in his first year under Arians with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. He also was sacked a career-high 41 times.
He began the 2014 season with 11 touchdowns to only three interceptions while the Cardinals jumped out to a 6-0 record before he suffered a torn ACL, prematurely ending his season.
Upon his return in 2015, Palmer had arguably the best season of his career, leading Arizona to a 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC championship game. He threw for a career-best 41 touchdowns and 4,671 yards while reducing his interception total to 11.
Winston finds himself in the same position heading into 2020 coming off of career-high totals in interceptions (30) and sacks (47).
So, did Winston genuinely regress into the unfixable territory or was it simply the growing pains of learning an immensely complex and demanding system? The Buccaneers’ front office and coaching staff have two months to decide.
