Jameis Winston is set to hit free agency after this season, but if it was up to him, he’d stay in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
“Of course,” said Winston when asked if he wanted to re-sign with the Browns, per the Morning Journal’s Jeff Schudel, explaining that he and his family had found a home in Cleveland.
“I’ve truly embraced this city. I love the hard nose, I love the beautiful trees three months out the year,” said Winston. “I’m grateful for the fans challenging me. I’m grateful for the fans lifting me up. I’m grateful for you all challenging me and lifting me up.”
Winston signed a fully-guaranteed one-year, $4MM with the Browns this past offseason to serve as Deshaun Watson‘s backup, though he had to fend off competition from Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Cleveland is 2-2 in Winston’s four starts after starting the season 1-6, with the veteran quarterback injecting some life into their previously-anemic passing game.
Winston’s performance has also earned him the support of his teammates, including Nick Chubb and Jerry Jeudy.
“He has a huge impact,” said Chubb. “He loves football. That rubs off on all of us — the energy and passion he brings every day — and we appreciate that.”
Jeudy went a step further, saying that Winston is the “type of guy you just need around,” per Schudel.
The Browns will have to navigate Watson’s recovery from his season-ending Achilles tear as well as his fully-guaranteed contract this offseason. If Cleveland moves on from Watson – or if he’s not projected to be healthy when the 2025 season starts – they may search for common ground with Winston to retain the veteran quarterback for next year. However, his performance will allow him to demand more money this offseason, especially if he draws interest from other teams searching for a starting quarterback.
Jameis makes a ton of sense as a bridge option for the next year or two if they don’t love anyone in this draft class. (Or even if they do love one of them and just don’t want to feel the need to play him right away which is the type of measured, long-term move that I haven’t seen much of from them.)
A rookie would fit best into their cap situation but I’m sure they could figure out a way to keep him if that’s the route they want to go. It really isn’t a stretch to say that he’s the best option currently on their payroll.