The Jameis Winston experience: Maybe Saints were right to part ways after all

The Jameis Winston Experience is one of the most exhausting rides to ever have to endure. It involves a love for a player that’s simply grateful. You can’t help but like Winston as he’s truly larger than life.

He’s relatable, he’s humble and he’s simply a likable person. That’s just off the field. On the field, he can find a way to relate to everyone on the team, offense and defense. He has a way with his teammates that is one of a kind. 

It’s why he’s so likable. Because even when he has bad games, you tend to separate the person from the football player. But New Orleans let Winston go for a reason. It had nothing to do with Winston the person. 

It had everything to do with Winston the football player. Monday night was the perfect example why, no matter how hard it was, Winston and the Saints parted ways. 

Jameis Winston makes it hard to hate him, which is why it’s easy to look past his struggles on the field

New Orleans wasn’t the first team to let Winston go. Before them, it was division rival Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers let him go after a truly unique 2019 season. He threw for over 5,000 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He also had seven interceptions returned for touchdowns in his last year with Tampa Bay.

Yet even through his on-field struggles, Winston always remained a likable guy. And while he’s been a bright spot with the Cleveland Browns this year, the same issues that cost him a starting job are arising again. 

And as much as we hate admitting it, it’s obvious why he was a No. 1 overall pick turned backup quarterback. Winston is talented. He can give you 400-plus yards on a consistent basis and throw for multiple touchdown passes. 

But he’s going to turn the ball over. In just five games with Cleveland, he has seven interceptions, including two games with three interceptions. 

Monday night was a historic night for Winston as his 497 yards were a single-game, franchise record. But that will get lost in the narrative because he threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. And it cost Cleveland the game. 

It was a reminder that the Jameis Winston Experience comes with the good and the bad.