Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
New Orleans Saints of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the
Heisman Trophy and led his team to victory in the
2014 BCS National Championship Game during his freshman year. Declaring for the NFL after his sophomore season, Winston was selected
first overall by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the
2015 NFL Draft.
Winston set several franchise rookie records for the Buccaneers, earning him
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
honors, and led the league in passing yards during the 2019 season. However, he was unable to reach the playoffs with the Buccaneers and his 2019 campaign was also marked by him leading the league in interceptions, including setting the NFL season record for
interceptions returned for touchdowns. Not re-signed to Tampa Bay after his rookie contract expired, Winston joined the Saints as a backup to
Drew Brees. He became the team's primary starter in 2021 following Brees' retirement.
Early life
Winston was born in
Bessemer, Alabama on January 6, 1994.
He attended
Hueytown High School
Hueytown High School is a four-year public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Hueytown. It is one of fourteen high schools in the Jefferson County School System. Hueytown competes in AHSAA Class 6A athletics. According to the ...
, where he played both
football and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
.
Winston was considered the best
dual-threat quarterback recruit in the nation by
Rivals.com, and the best overall quarterback recruit by
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Winston was also named the MVP of the
ESPN RISE Elite 11 quarterback camp. Additionally, Winston earned the Gatorade Player of the Year recognition for the state of Alabama.
[
Winston committed to attend Florida State University on February 3, 2012. The Texas Rangers selected Winston in the 15th round of the ]2012 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puert ...
out of high school. Though the Rangers proposed allowing him to play for the Florida State Seminoles football team while working out with their baseball organization, Winston decided not to sign.
College career
Football
2012 season
Winston redshirted during the 2012 college football season behind senior quarterback EJ Manuel.
2013 season
Prior to the 2013 season, Winston was named Florida State's starting quarterback. In his college debut, he completed 25 of 27 passes with four passing touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown in a 41–17 victory over the University of Pittsburgh.
Winston helped lead the team to an undefeated 13–0 regular season record, including a 45–7 victory in the ACC Championship
The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations.
The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
against Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...
.
For his successes in 2013, Winston earned numerous accolades. He was named the 2013 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year to go along with winning the AP Player of the Year Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, as well as the nickname "Famous Jameis". In addition, he was named as a Consensus All-American. Most notably, he won the Heisman Trophy on December 14, 2013, beating out quarterbacks A. J. McCarron, Jordan Lynch, and Johnny Manziel, the previous winner, as well as running backs Tre Mason and Andre Williams. He became the second freshman to win the award, after Manziel won the previous year. He also became the youngest to win the award, at 19 years and 342 days.
On January 6, 2014, Winston's 20th birthday, Florida State defeated Auburn 34–31 in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. Winston was named the Offensive MVP of the game after passing for 235 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left. Winston finished his freshman season with a conference-leading 4,057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, which set an ACC record and a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision freshman record.
2014 season
Winston started 13 games his redshirt sophomore season. He did not play in one game due to suspension. After a 13–0 regular season, the Seminoles were selected to play in the 2015 Rose Bowl, a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff, against Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
. Oregon would win the game by a score of 59–20, giving Winston his only loss as a starter during his college career. Winston finished the season with a conference-leading 3,907 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. He finished in sixth place in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2014.
After the season, Winston decided to forgo the remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL Draft. He finished his career 26–1 as a starter and completed 562 of 851 passes for 7,964 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.
College statistics
Awards and honors
* Heisman Trophy (2013)
* Walter Camp Award (2013)
* Manning Award (2013)
* Archie Griffin Award (2013)
* AP Player of the Year (2013)
* ''Sporting News'' Player of the Year (2013)
* BCS National Championship (2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
* BCS National Championship Offensive MVP (2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
* Orange Bowl champion (2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
)
* Consensus All-American (2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
)
* 2× First-team All- ACC (2013, 2014)
* ACC Player of the Year (2013)
* ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2013)
* ACC Rookie of the Year (2013)
* ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year (2013)
* ACC Athlete of the Year (2014)
* College Football Performance National Freshman of the Year (2013)
* ACC Championship Game MVP (2013)
* 3× ACC Championship
The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations.
The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
(2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
, 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
* ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...
'' High School All-American ( 2011)
Baseball
Winston chose Florida State in part because he was allowed to play for the Florida State Seminoles baseball team in addition to football. A switch-hitting
In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers.
Characteristics
Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...
batter and a right-handed thrower, he played as an outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
and a pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
as a freshman in 2013. He batted .235 with a .723 on-base plus slugging in 119 at-bats and had a 3.00 earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...
in 27 innings pitched. Prior to the 2014 season, Winston was named a preseason All-American by '' Baseball America'' as a 3rd-team utility player.
College statistics
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Winston first overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. On May 1, 2015, Winston signed a four-year, $23.35 million contract with the Buccaneers, with a $16.7 million signing bonus. The contract prevents him from playing any other sport than football.
2015 season
Winston played his first regular season game against the Tennessee Titans that featured fellow first rounder, Marcus Mariota. In the 42–14 loss, his first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Coty Sensabaugh
Coty Sensabaugh (born November 15, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
College career
He played college foo ...
. Winston's interception was the first time a rookie's first pass was returned for a touchdown since Brett Favre in 1991.
On November 22, 2015, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Winston tied an NFL rookie, and Buccaneers franchise, record with five touchdown passes.
Winston set franchise rookie records in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Winston finished his rookie season with 4,042 passing yards, finishing 23 yards short of the franchise record set by Josh Freeman in 2012. Winston also became the third rookie quarterback to pass over 4,000 yards in a season. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team for his 2015 season, becoming the fourth Buccaneers quarterback to receive this award, joining Tom Owen (1974), Doug Williams (1978), and Mike Glennon (2013).
Following his team's loss in the AFC Championship game, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
quarterback Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whic ...
elected not to participate in the 2016 Pro Bowl; as a result, Winston was selected to his first Pro Bowl game making him the first rookie quarterback in Buccaneers' history to be selected.
2016 season
Winston's second season in the NFL began with an impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome, in which he completed over 70% of his throws for 281 yards and four touchdown passes in a 31–24 victory. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Falcons. Following Week 1, the Buccaneers began to struggle through injuries, inconsistent play, and offensive turnovers till mid-season, at which point the team was 3–5 and had experienced blowout losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, and Atlanta Falcons - a three-game losing streak. Following the loss to the Falcons, the Winston-led Buccaneers began playing efficient offense as well as exceptional defense and special teams play, resulting in the Buccaneers' first five-game winning streak since their Super Bowl-winning season. The win streak gave the Buccaneers possession of the 6th seed in the NFC playoff race, which they quickly lost after back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
and New Orleans Saints. Winston led the Buccaneers to their first winning season in six years after defeating the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
in the regular-season finale, during which he broke the franchise records for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season and became the first quarterback in NFL history to start his career with consecutive seasons of 4,000 yards passing. However, the Buccaneers were eliminated from playoff contention via a tiebreaker with the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
. He was ranked 57th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017 season
During Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, Winston left the game with an apparent right shoulder injury. The next day, October 16, Winston suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, but he stated that he could play through it. During Week 9's loss to the New Orleans Saints, Winston was taken out of the game with the same shoulder injury. Head coach Dirk Koetter announced the next day that he would miss at least two weeks to rest his shoulder. While on the sideline, Winston initiated an altercation with Saints rookie Marshon Lattimore, while being assisted by teammate Mike Evans, for which Winston was fined $12,154. In the game, Winston became the second-youngest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career passing yards, four days older than record holder Drew Bledsoe. He missed the next three games due to injury and returned in Week 13. Overall, Winston and Buccaneers struggled to a 5–11 record. Winston finished the 2017 season with 3,504 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
2018 season
On April 17, 2018, the Buccaneers picked up the fifth-year option on Winston's contract. On June 21, the NFL announced that he would be suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy, regarding his latest incident where he allegedly groped a female Uber driver. On June 28, the announcement was made official, giving Winston a three-game suspension to begin the 2018 season.
After missing the first three games due to the suspension, Winston returned in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
, but did not start. He replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick in the third quarter, finishing with 145 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions as the Buccaneers lost 10–48. In Week 6, against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 395 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 34–29 loss. In Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Winston threw for 276 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions and he was benched in the third quarter for Fitzpatrick. During Week 11 against the New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
, Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions and was benched for Winston in the second half. Winston threw for 199 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the Buccaneers lost 38–35. Two weeks later, in a 24–17 win over the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, Winston completed 20 of 30 passing attempts for 249 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the franchise record for passing touchdowns in a career with 81. Three weeks later, in a 27–20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
, Winston completed 34 of 48 passing attempts for 336 yards and one touchdown, breaking the franchise record for completions in a career previously held by Josh Freeman. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 2,992 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
2019 season
Prior to the start of the season, head coach Dirk Koetter was fired and replaced by former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians. In Week 1, during a 31–17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Winston broke the Buccaneers franchise record for passing yards in a career previously held by Vinny Testaverde but finished with 194 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Following a lackluster first two weeks of the 2019 season, during a 32–31 loss to the New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
in Week 3, Winston passed for 380 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The following week, Winston passed for 385 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception in a 55–40 win over the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...
. As a result of his performance, Winston was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
During Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Winston became the first quarterback in Buccaneers franchise history to pass for 100 touchdowns in a career, but finished with 400 passing yards, one touchdown, a lost fumble, and a career-high five interceptions as the Buccaneers lost 37–26. Two weeks later, in a 27–23 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Winston broke another Buccaneers franchise record, previously held by Testaverde, for career passing attempts, but finished with 301 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and two lost fumbles. The following week, in a 40–34 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Winston passed for 335 yards, two touchdowns, and lost a fumble. In Week 10, during a 30–27 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he had 358 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. In the next against the New Orleans Saints, Winston threw for 313 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, as the Buccaneers lost 34–17. In Week 12, during a 35–22 win against the Atlanta Falcons, Winston passed for 313 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. During Week 14 against the Indianapolis Colts, Winston finished with a then career-best 456 passing yards, five rushing yards, five total touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Buccaneers won 38–35. As a result of his performance, Winston broke the Buccaneers' single-season franchise record for passing yards that he set in 2016, becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for over 4,100 yards in a season.
In Week 15, during a 38–17 win over the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, Winston finished with a career-best 458 passing yards, four rushing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception as he both became the first quarterback in NFL history to have consecutive games of 450 passing yards and broke the franchise record for passing touchdowns in a single season that he set in 2016, becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to throw 30 passing touchdowns in a single season. In Week 16, during a 23–20 loss to the Houston Texans, Winston threw for 335 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. In Week 17, during a 28–22 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Winston threw for 201 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions including a game-ending one that was returned for a touchdown by linebacker Deion Jones. As a result, Winston became the eighth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season, the first Buccaneers quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season, and the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a single season.
Winston finished his fifth year setting new career highs, leading the league in passing yards, completions, and attempts to go along with new career highs in passing touchdowns but also leading the league in interceptions and total turnovers. He finished with 5,109 passing yards, 33 passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, 30 interceptions, and five lost fumbles. Winston's seven interceptions returned for touchdowns set an NFL record, and his 84.3 passer rating ranked 27th among starters. Winston was also recognized for having his first and last pass as a Buccaneer returned for touchdowns.
On February 28, 2020, it was revealed that Winston underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus. It was also revealed that Winston had LASIK surgery
LASIK or Lasik (''laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis''), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and an actual cure for astigmatism, sin ...
. Furthermore, he was dealing with the knee injury and a broken thumb for the entire 2019 season. Winston was not re-signed by the Buccaneers in the offseason, as they opted to replace him with longtime New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
quarterback Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whic ...
.
New Orleans Saints
On April 28, 2020, Winston signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. His contract had a value of $1.1 million including his base salary of $952,000 and a signing bonus of $148,000 with a possible $3.4 million in incentives.
2020 season
Winston made his first appearance of the 2020 season in Week 9 against his former team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ''Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football may refer to:
* ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games by NBC since 2006
* ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games from 1987 to 2005 by ESPN
* ...
'' in relief of Brees. Winston passed for 12 yards as the Saints beat the Bucs 38–3. In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Winston came in the second half after Brees left the game with a rib injury. Winston completed 6 of 10 passes for 63 yards as the Saints won 27–13. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
list by the team on December 20, 2020, and activated four days later.
In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winston went into the lineup on a trick play and threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith during the 30–20 loss.
2021 season
On March 15, 2021, Winston re-signed with the Saints on a one-year deal worth $12 million. On August 27, 2021, Winston was named the starting quarterback for the Saints over Taysom Hill. Making his first start for the Saints against the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
, Winston threw for 147 yards and five touchdowns as the Saints won 38–3. The following week against the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
with multiple starters injured and seven coaches sidelined due to COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
Winston threw for 111 yards and 2 interceptions with no touchdowns in the 26–7 loss. During week 5 against the Washington Football Team Winston and the Saints overcame two early turnovers to beat Washington 33–22 while throwing for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, along with a fumble.
In Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winston had to leave the game in the second quarter due to a knee injury after being horse-collar tackled by Tampa Bay linebacker Devin White. He would be replaced by Trevor Siemian, who went on to win the game, 36–27. The next day, it was revealed that Winston had suffered a torn ACL and had MCL damage, ending his season.
2022 season
On March 21, 2022, Winston signed a two-year, $28 million contract extension with the Saints. On September 18, it was reported that Winston suffered four fractures in his back.
NFL career statistics
Records and achievements
NFL records
* Most passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie quarterback: 5 (tied with Ray Buivid, Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, and Daniel Jones)
* Most passing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in one half: 4 (tied with Marcus Mariota and Deshaun Watson) (November 22, 2015, vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
* Youngest player to pass for 3,000 yards: (21 years, 342 days) December 13, 2015
* Youngest player to pass for 4,000 yards: (21 years, 363 days) January 3, 2016
* Second youngest player to pass for 10,000 yards: (23 years, 303 days; 4 days older than Drew Bledsoe) November 5, 2017
* Youngest player to pass for 40 touchdowns: (22 years, 312 days) November 13, 2016
* Most seasons of passing for 4,000 yards to begin a career: 2 (2015–2016)
* Most touchdown passes before 24th birthday: 69 (23 years, 360 days) December 31, 2017
* Most consecutive 450+ yards passing games: 2 (2019)
* Most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a season: 7 (2019)
* First player in NFL history to throw 30-or-more touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season: (2019)
* Fewest yards in a game with 5+ touchdowns: (September 12, 2021, vs. Green Bay Packers)
Buccaneers franchise records
Rookie records
*Most passing touchdowns by a rookie – 22
*Most passing yards by a rookie – 4,042
*Most pass attempts by a rookie – 535
*Most pass completions by a rookie – 312
*Most games started by a rookie – 16
*Most interceptions for a touchdown by a rookie – 2
*Highest passer rating by a rookie – 84.2
*Most yards gained per pass attempt by a rookie – 7.56
*Most passing yards per game – 252.6
*Most wins by a rookie – 6
*Most losses by a rookie – 10
*Most 4th quarter comebacks by a rookie – 2 (tied with Bruce Gradkowski, Mike Glennon, & Josh Freeman)
*Most game-winning drives by a rookie – 3 (tied with Bruce Gradkowski)
*Most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback – 6
*Most rushing attempts by a rookie quarterback – 54
Game records
*Most consecutive games of 300 yards passing – 6 (Week 6–12, 2019)
*Most passing touchdowns in a game – 5 (tied) (November 22, 2015, vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
*Most passing attempts in a game – 58 (September 25, 2016, vs. Los Angeles Rams)
*Most pass completions in a game – 36 (tied with Brian Griese) (September 25, 2016, vs Los Angeles Rams) (Later broken by Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whic ...
)
Season records
*Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season – 6 (2015)
*Most passing touchdowns in a season – 33 (2019) (Later broken by Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whic ...
)
*Most passing yards in a season – 5,109 (2019) (Later broken by Tom Brady)
*Most passing yards per game in a season – 319.3 (2019)
*Most passing attempts in a season – 626 (2019) (Later broken by Tom Brady)
*Most consecutive seasons, 3,000 yards passing – 3 (2015–2017) (tied with Brad Johnson and Josh Freeman)
*Most seasons with 3,000+ passing yards – 4 (2015–2019)
*Most consecutive seasons of 4,000 yards passing – 2 (2015–2016) (tied with Tom Brady)
*Most seasons of 4,000 yards passing – 3 (2015–2019)
*Most games of 300 yards passing in a single season – 11 (2019)
Career records
*Most games of 300 passing yards – 27 (2015–2019)
*Most passing touchdowns – 121 (2015–2019)
*Most pass completions – 1,563 (2015–2019)
*Most passing yards – 19,737 (2015–2019)
*Most passing attempts – 2,548 (2015–2019)
*Most passing yards per game in a career – 274.1 (2015–2019)
*Most rushing yards by a quarterback – 1,044 (2015–2019)
*Most rushing attempts by a quarterback – 248 (2015–2019)
*Most fumbles – 50 (2015–2019)
Personal life
Winston married his wife, Breion Allen, in a private ceremony held at their home on March 27, 2020. They have two sons together.
Controversies
Sexual assault allegation
On November 14, 2013, the State Attorney of the Second Judicial Circuit
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...
announced they were opening an investigation into a sexual assault allegation involving Winston that was originally filed with the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) on December 7, 2012. The complaint was originally investigated by the police and classified as open/inactive in February 2013 with no charges being filed. The police report, containing the complainant's original statement, has been posted by the Tallahassee Police Department. Tallahassee police stated that the complaint was made inactive "when the victim in the case broke off contact with TPD, and her attorney indicated she did not want to move forward at that time" and then re-examined after media requests for information started coming in early November. On December 5, 2013, State Attorney Willie Meggs announced the completion of the investigation and that no charges would be filed against anyone in this case, citing "major issues" with the woman's testimony. Meggs stated that "As prosecutors, we only bring charges for cases where the evidence will result in a likely conviction at trial. In this case, the evidence does not show that." Allegations of improper police conduct have been made by both parties, with the complainant claiming to have been pressured into dropping her claim and Winston's attorney alleging inappropriate leaks to the media. Florida State's policy is that athletes charged with a felony cannot play until their case is resolved, but Winston continued to play throughout the investigation because he was never charged.
On April 16, 2014, ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported irregularities in the rape investigation involving Winston. The complainant developed bruises and semen was found on her underwear. 34 days later, the complainant identified Winston by name as her attacker. Tallahassee police contacted Winston about 13 days later. No DNA sample was taken from Winston until the prosecutor took over the case, months later; once it was taken in November 2013, it was found to match DNA found in the complainant's underwear. The investigation was conducted by Officer Scott Angulo, who, the ''Times'' article notes, did private security work for the Seminole Boosters, the primary financier of Florida State athletics.
The official FSU hearing, presided over by retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Major B. Harding
Major Best Harding (born October 13, 1935) is an attorney and former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court by Governor Lawton Chiles in 1991 and served until 2002. His tenure as chief justice lasted from 1998 ...
, on December 21, 2014, cleared Winston of violating the student conduct code in the sexual assault allegation. An extract from Harding's decision is below.
I do not find the credibility of one story substantially stronger than that of the other. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses. I cannot find with any confidence that the events as set forth by you, (accuser), or a particular combination thereof is more probable than not as required to find you responsible for a violation of the Code. Therein lies the determinative factor of my decision.
The accuser filed a civil suit against Winston in April 2014 and Winston countersued her for defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...
and tortious interference in May 2014. In a September 2015 ruling, federal judge Anne C. Conway dismissed Winston's tortious interference claim, but declined a motion to dismiss his claim for defamation. These civil claims were settled out of court in December 2016, four months before the case was scheduled to go to trial.
In November 2015, Winston told CNN that he was prepared to file suit if the network aired '' The Hunting Ground'', a documentary about college campus rape which includes disputed allegations about Winston. CNN was undeterred and aired the documentary on November 22, 2015.
In 2016, the university paid $950,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the same woman alleging a violation of Title IX by FSU in handling her complaint. The university also agreed to conduct five years of sexual awareness programs. It did not admit liability.
Shoplifting incidents
In July 2013, a Burger King employee called police in July to complain that Winston was stealing soda. According to the police report, Winston came into the restaurant with three men, but did not order any food. An employee, who recognized him, first saw him using ketchup cups to take some soda. He asked for a water cup after she told him to stop, but he said he would use it for soda and filled it repeatedly with soda over her objections, the report said. On April 29, 2014, Winston was issued an adult civil citation for shoplifting crab legs from a Tallahassee Publix store. Winston was ordered to undergo 20 hours of community service
Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always perform ...
, and was suspended from any college baseball activity until he completed his community service.
Vulgar comments
On September 17, 2014, Winston was suspended for the first half of Florida State's upcoming game against Clemson. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' reported that "several students tweeted" that Winston shouted, " Fuck her right in the pussy!" an Internet meme, while standing atop a table in Florida State University's Student Union. Two days later, university president Garnett S. Stokes
Garnett Sue Stokes (born December 20, 1955) is an American academic administrator serving as the 23rd president of the University of New Mexico. She assumed office on March 1, 2018.
Early life and education
Stokes was born in Washington, D.C. ...
and athletic director Stan Wilcox, citing results of an "ongoing investigation", announced that Winston would be suspended for the whole game.
2017 groping allegation
On November 17, 2017, it was reported that the NFL conducted an investigation, where Winston allegedly groped a female Uber driver in 2016. Two days later, it was revealed that Ronald Darby, who also attended Florida State, was also on board during the ride in which this incident supposedly occurred. Darby has defended Winston against the allegations. However, the investigation found evidence that Winston got into another Uber ride alone, which was consistent with the Uber driver's account, and concluded that Winston "violated the Personal Conduct Policy by touching the driver in an
inappropriate and sexual manner without her consent". The league announced on June 21 that it was suspending Winston for the first three games of the 2018 season as a result of his involvement in the incident, which it carried through on June 28.
See also
* List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
References
External links
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New Orleans Saints bio
Florida State football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winston, Jameis
1994 births
Living people
African-American baseball players
African-American players of American football
All-American college football players
American football quarterbacks
Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from Alabama
Florida State Seminoles baseball players
Florida State Seminoles football players
Heisman Trophy winners
New Orleans Saints players
Sportspeople from Bessemer, Alabama
People from Hueytown, Alabama
Players of American football from Alabama
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Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
Campus sexual assault
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21st-century African-American sportspeople