Bucs' Arians on Winston: 'The whole thing is going to be built around him'
As the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians is willing to overlook quarterback Jameis Winston's past - which includes a three-game suspension at the start of the 2018 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy - and build the team around him.
"I've known him for a long time. We all make mistakes. He's made his, I've made mine," Arians said on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday. "I feel like I've got a great feel for him, his excitement for the game.
"His willingness to work is unbelievable. He's in the office at 5 o'clock in the morning. I have no qualms about that. ... The whole thing is going to be built around him."
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft has completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 14,628 yards and 88 touchdowns with 58 interceptions over 56 games. He's added nine total scores on the ground, six of which came during his Pro-Bowl rookie campaign.
Winston will carry a cap hit of $20.9 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2019.
Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick, who'll turn 37 in 2019 and made seven starts this season, will become a free agent at the end of the league year in March.
With h/t to The Athletic