Yahoo Finance Jameis Winston joins Peyton Manning, Dan Marino with 5,000-yard season
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has something in common with the greats at his position. On Sunday, Winston became the eighth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season.
That feat has been accomplished just 12 times. Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino was the first to reach the milestone. Over the past couple years, he’s been joined by Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Matthew Stafford and now Winston. Brees is the only member of that group to reach 5,000 yards multiple times. He’s reached 5,000 passing yards in five seasons.
While the accomplishment puts Winston in elite company, he’s doesn’t have the same reputation as many of those players. In fact, the Bucs may allow the 25-year-old Winston to walk in the offseason.
Why? Because while Winston can put up numbers in the right situation, he still has major issues with ball security. Coming into Week 17, Winston led the league with 28 interceptions. Philip Rivers and Baker Mayfield entered Sunday tied for second place. Both players sat at 18 interceptions heading into Week 17. Winston has also fumbled the ball 12 times.
Despite the yardage, Winston will be a polarizing player if he hits the market. Some teams will focus on the numbers, assuming Winston can excel in the right situation. Others will look at his history of turnovers and conclude he will never improve.
All that makes for an interesting next couple months for the former No. 1 overall pick.
———
Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
More from Yahoo Sports:
