Why the Chicago Bears veteran focus should now be on Jameis Winston

With the Chicago Bears‘ missing out on Carson Wentz and Derek Carr likely not for sale according to Jim Ayello via Twitter, the Bears should turn their efforts to signing Jameis Winston.

Before anybody jumps to conclusions, please read the piece all the way through. This is not saying Jameis Winston is a savior or that he is going to be a great quarterback in the NFL. There are just plenty of good reasons to bring in Jameis Winston at quarterback.

After being drafted first overall in 2015, there were high expectations surrounding the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. He drew comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger and other gunslingers who weren’t afraid to experiment throwing the ball into tight windows given their arm talent.

His rookie year, he looked to be just that. Winston as a rookie threw for over 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns earning himself a Pro Bowl berth as just a rookie. He followed it up with an even better season in 2016 throwing for 4,090 yards and 28 touchdowns posting an 86.1 passer rating. Winston kept improving every season until his decline in 2018 which eventually led to his infamous “30 for 30” season in 2019 (30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions).

What is forgotten about in 2019 though is that Winston largely was trying to play hero ball. They were constantly losing, so he was constantly taking his shots. This led to him throwing for over 5,000 yards as well. He needed to clean up his mistakes though before he could be ready to start again.

Then, Winston joined the quarterback whisperer Sean Payton to back up one of the greatest to ever do it in Drew Brees. He came in relief for Brees in one game completing seven of his 11 passes for 75 yards, but he then saw himself benched for Taysom Hill when Brees missed time.

So, why Winston if he can’t even beat out Hill? Here are a few reasons why.