Jameis Winston and the Chargers are an intriguing fit
By John Buhler
If Jameis Winston is not back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a new contract, he could end up being an interesting fit with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Could “Mr. 30/30” bring his newfound 20/20 vision to the city of stars in 2020?
After channeling his inner Barry Larkin for the 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Jameis Winston opted to go the optical route and get his eyes fixed. The former No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay will be hitting his unrestricted free agency after five up-and-down years with the team that drafted him.
Though it is not likely he’ll be back with the Buccaneers on a new contract, it hasn’t been ruled out entirely. However, if Winston does hit the open market, one team that could be an intriguing fit for him is the Los Angeles Chargers. Wait, what?
The Chargers are in desperate need to add some excitement to their football team. Winston can certainly provide that with his abilities as a passer. Los Angeles will be getting a lot of touchdown passes and a lot of interceptions upon Winston’s arrival. Doesn’t that sound familiar, Chargers fans?
Los Angeles decided to cut ties with longtime starter Philip Rivers this offseason. While he will end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, Rivers looked like a shell of himself a season ago. He is painfully immobile in the pocket and increasingly mistake-prone in a pass-heavy league. By adding Winston, the Bolts would be getting a younger, albeit more immature, version of Rivers.
Of course, the Chargers are largely expected to take a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. They are picking at No. 6, which could put them in position to draft either Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama or Justin Herbert out of Oregon. Then again, the Detroit Lions could mess everything up at No. 3, forcing the Bolts to move up into the top five via trade to hopefully get their guy.
Who’s to say the Chargers can’t address the quarterback position in the draft and in free agency?
Next: Biggest Heisman Busts of All-Time
Though they could go with Tyrod Taylor as the Week 1 starter, that’s not going to help the Spanos Family sell tickets at SoFi Stadium as the second tenant to the Los Angeles Rams. People will buy tickets to see Tagovailoa or Herbert play. Frankly, Chargers fans may be willing to pay to see an exciting player like Winston play quarterback for them, albeit in a glorified, stop-gap role.