Jameis Winston Turning Pro: It Was Interesting

And thus ends one of the most amazing and controversial careers in the history of college football. 
The buzz kicked in around Jameis Winston during the 2013 spring game, when he made big play after big play, had the attitude of a crusty veteran mixed in with the excitement of a new starter, making it obvious from the very beginning that he had IT. And then, with everyone watching on the first Monday night of the 2013 college football season, he announced his arrival – and all but won the Heisman in Week One – with a 25-of-27 performance for 356 yards and four touchdowns in the 41-13 win over Pitt on the road

The ride never slowed down from there. 

On the field, few players have ever been able to compartmentalize better and perform under pressure with more production. Remember, the big knock on Florida State through the first 13 games of Winston’s career was that he was never tested, winning every game with blowout ease. But that all went away on one drive that’ll will define his playing career and put him into the discussion of the greatest college quarterbacks of all-time. 

He had already won the Heisman and he had already helped carry his team to the BCS championship, but he struggled against Auburn and for the first time had to deal with adversity. When down, and when a touchdown march was needed for a national title, Winston pulled it off, proving all the doubters wrong and showing a different side to his game. The clutch, winner side to his abilities. 

2014 was nothing but close call after close call, with Winston digging his own hole time after time, only to climb out of it with stunning efficiency, at least until the Rose Bowl debacle against Oregon, and even then he threw for 348 yards with a touchdown. Jameis was half empty – he struggled too much early on. Jameis was half full – he was outstanding when he had to be. 

But, of course, the legacy of Jameis Winston will be as much about surviving close call after close call off the field as it was for anything he did on it. 

From the stolen crab legs to the alleged affiliation with a point shaver, from having his name thrown into the autograph mix with Todd Gurley to the ever-murky sexual assault allegations that led to a bizarre set of investigations and inquiries, Winston’s reputation took a hit, but there were never any real repercussions from all the controversies. 

What did he get punished the most for? Jumping on a table and yelling out a foul internet trend, but he only had to sit for the Clemson game because it just so happened to come at a time when the NFL was melting down with the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson disasters – it was a PR move for Florida State that said enough was enough for its star who had to be as mature a leader off the field as he was on it. 

And now comes the really interesting part in Winston’s career – what does the NFL think?

Tampa Bay needs a quarterback, Winston would be the perfect fit considering the Florida angle and to potentially boost up ticket sales, and he could be in the right situation if Marc Trestman takes over as offensive coordinator and with a no-nonsense player’s coach in Lovie Smith as the head man. Winston has the tools and the upside to be the No. 1 overall pick. He has the arm, he has the moxie, he has the mobility, and he has the college resume that pro quarterback coaches dream of in a prospect, but … 

Winston represents one of the tougher all-time calls for a GM, but that’s the player. That’s what the guy is. Everything about his game and his demeanor and his legacy both on and off the field, for good and for bad, are at an all-time level, and it might be enough to keep him off some draft boards, and it might be enough to make him some team’s franchise-saver. 

If Chicago is done with Jay Cutler, then six teams in the top seven need a quarterback, but who’s going to take the chance? Who wants to roll the dice? You can win a Super Bowl because of Jameis Winston, or you could get your GM fired and set the franchise back five years. He’s just that kind of a player. 

He’s Jameis Winston.