Tom Brady over Jameis Winston easy decision for Buccaneers

decision to pursue Tom Brady in free ncy was a -brainer for Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s t to suggest a lot of thinking and planning didn’t go into it. In snaring six-time Super Bowl winner, who signed a two-year, $50 million contract that’s fully guaranteed, Bucs also pulled plug on trying to develop a talented and much younger Jameis Winston into a championship quarterback.

first overall pick from 2015 draft, 26-year-old Winston has been wildly inconsistent over first five seasons of his career. re were flashes of brilliance on way to becoming Tampa Bay’s all-time leading passer, but also a league-leading 111 turvers that hindered team’s prospects for success.

Brady, who’ll turn 43 in August, has been one of best ever at protecting ball, leading Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances, 13 AFC championship games and 17 division title in 20 seasons with New England.

Bucs coach Bruce Arians and general manr Jason Licht are confident Brady can still play at a high eugh level to t only end Tampa Bay’s 12-year playoff drought, but win ar Super Bowl — or two.

“He is a Buccaneer today t for what he has done in past, but for what we kw he can accomplish here in near future as well,” Licht said. “We kw that Tom is going to have a transformative effect in our locker room, and he is going to demand best out of himself, his teammates and anybody that is around him.”

Three factors that made it an easy decision to seek Brady as a replacement for Winston:

BALL PROTECTION

Winston led NFL with 5,107 yards passing in 2019. He also threw for 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions to become first 30-30 player in league history. Opponents returned a record seven interceptions for TDs last season and scored 112 points off his league-high 35 turvers overall.

Brady has never thrown more than 14 interceptions in a season. His 1.79 career interception percent is second-best of all time behind Aaron Rodgers among quarterbacks with at least 2,500 pass attempts. He’s thrown just 27 picks total while throwing for nearly 13,000 yards and 85 touchdowns past three seasons.

Winston’s interception percent was 4.8 last season, hiking his career mark to 3.5.

HE WINS ... A LOT

Brady’s .774 regular season winning percent ranks first in Super Bowl era among quarterbacks with at least 50 starts. With 249 victories overall, including playoffs, he’s won almost as many games in two decades as Bucs have won (273) in franchise’s 44-season history.

Winston topped 4,000 yards passing in three of his five seasons in Tampa Bay, but that didn’t translate to team success. He was 28-42 as a starter and produced just one winning record, 9-7 in 2016, which wasn’t good eugh to make playoffs.

“When we looked at everybody that might be available at quarterback position, obviously really never dreaming that Tom would be available, but if he was, he was going to be our . 1 choice,” Arians said. “Mainly because he can do everything that we want to do in our offense, but more than that it’s his leadership ability that we need in our locker room to get where we want to go.”

DIVISION MAGIC

surest path to playoffs is a division championship. Bucs have finished last in NFC South eight of past 11 seasons.

Brady won AFC East 17 of 18 seasons in which he was New England’s primary starter, including past 11 years.

Winston struggled to establish himself in a quarterback-driven division featuring Drew Brees in New Orleans, Matt Ryan in Atlanta and Cam Newton in Carolina — all of whom have been to Super Bowls. Brady is looking forward to getting better acquainted with Saints, Falcons and Panrs.

“Winning division is always hard thing to do. se teams kw each or so well, and I didn’t play this division but once every four years, so I’ve got to learn players. I’ve got to learn schemes,” Brady said.

“Great offenses aren’t about one player. Great offenses are about every guy being on same p and playing with confidence and anticipation.

“It’s going to be a busy offseason for me learning a lot of new things, which is a great challenge and a great opportunity for me. I’m just going to do it only way I kw how to do it, which is just to fully engulf myself in what is done here,” Brady added. “It’s a new program that I’m a part of and y have ir way of doing things. y’re committed to winning and I’ve got to come in and do my part. That’s why I’m here.”