For five years, Jameis Winston was Tampa Bay’s quarterback.
Selected at No. 1 overall in 2015, Winston became the Buccaneers’ all-time franchise leader in yards passing and in touchdowns.
But Tampa Bay decided to move on after Winston’s rollercoaster 2019, in which he led the league with 5,109 yards and also 30 interceptions.
The franchise signed Tom Brady to replace Winston and immediately won the Super Bowl.
That might make many people feel some kind of way. But during an appearance on the “All Things Covered” podcast with former defensive back Bryant McFadden, Winston shared he was mainly happy for his former teammates.
“I just wish I was able to be a part of that. And I still look back and I’m just like, ‘OK, I’m somehow a part of that,’ just in terms of the mentality and the teammates that I built countless hours of work with,” Winston said. “But at the end of the day, I’m excited for my teammates and that’s all I can be.
“I’m blessed that I have another opportunity for me to earn a Lombardi Trophy. I always say, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. And it was meant for them to win that Super Bowl this year. And I’m doing everything I can to earn me a Super Bowl. That’s the mentality. I can’t sit here and hate on my teammates. Like, yeah I wanted to be a part of the Super Bowl. I live here. I want to be throwing Lombardi Trophies across boats. But at the end of the day, I want to be competing and being a starting quarterback in this league and give my team an opportunity to win [a championship]. I can’t take nothing away from them. That’s what I want, man.”
Winston noted he’s at least texted with many of his former teammates since their dominant victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
“I congratulated everybody that I could think of in that organization — I sent them a text and congratulated them,” Winston said. “I had a chance to be with ‘BA’ [Bruce Arians] and those coaches for one year, and I saw how they were coming in with a new mentality, they were coming in meaning business. … You saw the strides that they took. And it paid off.”
