People hoping for a reunion with the former Bucs quarterback may not get their wish

Former Bucs QB Jameis Winston is scheduled to become a free agent when the new league year begins on March 16th. With his pending free agency and the Bucs now suddenly needing a quarterback, many have wondered if we could see a return of Winston to the team that drafted him first overall.

Bruce Arians was Winston’s head coach in his final year in Tampa Bay which saw Winston throw 30 interceptions and countless other plays that frustrated Arians. After the 2019 season finale against the Falcons, Bruce Arians decided he had seen enough and wanted to move in a different direction which led to the signing of Tom Brady.

Now fast forward to 2022, Tom Brady is no longer a Buccaneer and Winston could be a cheaper option on the market than other names such as Teddy Bridgewater. Winston is coming off of a major ACL injury which was suffered during a week eight contest against the Bucs when he was a starter with the Saints.

There are a lot of reasons why a reunion may make some sense, but Bruce Arians doesn’t seem to believe that idea will come to fruition. Arians said when speaking to the media on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that he would not be opposed to signing Winston, but casted some doubt when asked about it by saying “No, not totally, but I don’t think it’s the best thing for him.”

These comments by Arians seem to signal that Winston will not be returning to Tampa Bay as the Bucs starter in 2022. It is easy to understand why Arians might feel that way about Winston. It could be tough for him to come back to a place where he did not live up to expectations and there could be some better situations for him out there.

We will have to wait and see who the next quarterback for Tampa Bay is but odds are, it won’t be Winston.