Bucs Take Big Risk if Jameis Winston Hits Free Agency

Tampa Bay's master plan at quarterback could backfire in a big way.

It's possible that not even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know exactly what they want to do at the quarterback position for the 2020 season and beyond.

They could sign Jameis Winston to an extension right this second if they wanted to, but since they haven't, it's a good bet they have other plans in mind. Those plans are likely influenced by the fact that many big-name veteran passers are set to hit the open market in a couple of weeks.

Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater and more could be looking for a new home this offseason, and the Bucs might want to go more than window shopping in an attempt to upgrade from Winston.

Sure, Winston led the league with over 5,000 passing yards and finished second only to NFL MVP Lamar Jackson in touchdown passes last year, but his league-leading (by far) 30 interceptions will likely have more to say about whether or not he stays in Tampa Bay than anything else. His turnover problems have gotten worse instead of better over the his five seasons in the NFL, and Tampa Bay might just be fed up at this point.

It seems more likely with each passing day that the Bucs will let Winston test the waters of free agency, while they themselves see what else the market could give them. If it goes the Bucs' way, they'll either end up with a veteran upgrade, or Winston will find very little interest from other teams, and will come back to Tampa Bay with far lower demands for a new contract.

But what if that doesn't happen?

What if Winston gets a new deal elsewhere, leaving the Bucs at the mercy of the open market? What if Brady, Rivers, Bridgewater and the rest make other plans, leaving Tampa Bay empty-handed at the game's most important position?

That could force the Bucs to get desperate when the 2020 NFL Draft, rolls around, leading them to reach for prospect or trading valuable resources to move up the board and get one who will be ready to start immediately. Currently sitting at No. 14 overall in the first round, the Bucs would have to make a big jump to land the likes of Oregon's Justin Herbert or Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, let alone presumptive No. 1 pick Joe Burrow.

Would Utah State's Jordan Love or Washington's Jacob Eason really be the answer with a top-15 pick? Could they wait until Day 2, asking Georgia Jake Fromm or Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts to take over the offense?

It makes sense why the Bucs would want to see what's behind every door this offseason, but they need to have a strong backup plan in place if everything goes south, and the league's top quarterbacks go everywhere else this offseason.