Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is more than likely participating in his final season as a member of the NFC South franchise. With Winston currently in the midst of the final year of his rookie contract after being selected by the Buccaneers with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2014, there don't appear to be plans in place to bring back the former Florida State Seminoles standout.
Despite sporting some gaudy individual numbers atop the NFL level, a Heisman Trophy, a collegiate national championship and his status as a former No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick, Winston has not lived up to the initial expectations that surrounded him five years ago.
As a result, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians will surely begin contemplating who will be playing quarterback for Tampa Bay come next season. Because Winston simply can't stop turning the ball over in addition to never reaching the postseason as an NFL signal-caller, he will more than likely be looking for work elsewhere this upcoming offseason.
Luckily for Arians and company, though, there will be more than a few viable options for the NFC South franchise — both on a short term or long term basis. On the other hand, Winston may have to settle for a backup role going forward.
Marcus Mariota
Ironically enough, Jameis Winston's successor with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may ultimately become the man who was drafted just one spot behind him back in 2014. Currently, a member of the Tennessee Titans while also in the last year of his rookie contract, former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota will surely become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, which could lead to his eventual arrival in Tampa Bay.
Serving as the Titans starter under center to begin this season, Mariota has since been replaced by the red hot Ryan Tannehill, who has led Tennessee to five wins in his six starts as a member of the AFC South franchise. Because Mariota has won a playoff game and has shown glimpses of superstar potential at times, he will most likely be seeking a team that will at least allow him to compete for a starting role next season while Tampa Bay could be a potential suitor with this notion attached.
However, Mariota has been unable to remain healthy, which could force him to consider short term deals going forward. This is another reason that the Buccaneers could be a good match for the former Heisman Trophy winner next season.
Justin Herbert/Tua Tagovailoa/Joe Burrow
With a player like Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota serving as a possible short term solution to replace Jameis Winston, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Bruce Arians will also have a few long terms options as well. It could very well end up that the Buccaneers look to the 2020 NFL Draft to find the team's next quarterback of the future. However, it currently seems as though Tampa Bay will be picking in the middle of the first round as the top three or so quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft class will certainly already be off the board by that time.
Even so, if Arians and the Buccaneers are seriously interested in the likes of Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa or LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow, there is a legitimate possibility that the NFC South franchise attempts to trade up in the first round in order to secure one of these three players. On the other hand, though, Arians may not be as interested as seemingly everyone else when it comes to these three players, which would presumably lead Tampa Bay to look elsewhere in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
If this becomes the case, however, it is also likely that the Buccaneers trot out a sub-par team in 2020-21 en route to receiving a top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In this case, Arians could pick from a talented class of quarterbacks in two years instead of one.
Philip Rivers
Similarly to the Marcus Mariota situation in Nashville, this could be Philip Rivers last season as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers. Because things are once again not going so well for Rivers on the West Coast, the longtime Chargers signal-caller may be benched in favor of another option at the quarterback position before this season comes to an end. If that is the case with Rivers playing out the final year of his current contract with the AFC West franchise, it will quickly become his final go-round in Los Angeles.
As an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason, Rivers will no doubt have multiple suitors with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers possibly in the mix.
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