Latest On Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston‘s suspension is not yet final, but the Buccaneers quarterback is expected to be banned for at least the first three games of this season. And the NFL looks to have determined the Ronald Darby explanation didn’t hold water, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (video link).
Shortly after the unnamed accuser’s account of Winston groping her surfaced last November, Darby, who played with the former Heisman Trophy winner at Florida State, came forward with an explanation to help Winston. The veteran cornerback said he was in the car with Winston, with both Seminoles-turned-NFLers sitting in the backseat the entire time during the ride.
“There were three of us in the car, not just one as has been reported,” Darby said in November. “Myself and Jameis were in the backseat. I am confident that nothing inappropriate in nature happened in the car that evening and Jameis did not have any physical contact with the Uber driver. The accusations are just not true.”
However, the NFL did not ultimately accept Darby’s explanation. The investigation, Garafolo reports, determined Darby was not in the vehicle during the entire trip. It’s not certain when Winston and Darby’s paths crossed that night in Arizona, but Garafolo reports the NFL believes there were multiple legs to this trip and does not believe both Winston and Darby were together in the car the whole time.
The league also examined electronic communications from the parties involved in the alleged incident that night in March 2016, with Garafolo noting this likely played a key role in Winston’s expected suspension.
As of now, Winston would be in line to miss a difficult part of Tampa Bay’s schedule. The Saints, Eagles and Steelers are the first three teams on the Bucs’ docket. Garafolo confirmed a Thursday-night report that more games could be tacked onto this based on certain conditions. The Bucs will face the Bears, Falcons and Browns from Weeks 4-6.
More Details On Jameis Winston’s Impending Suspension
We learned earlier tonight that the NFL was planning on suspending Jameis Winston, and the Buccaneers quarterback wasn’t going to appeal. Why wouldn’t he exercise his appeal rights? Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com believes Winston and the NFL have already cut a deal.
There’s a benefit for both sides. The NFL could have threatened Winston with a six-game ban, and the quarterback managed to get that chopped in half. By avoiding an appeal, the NFL could also avoid a lengthy, “futile” appeal process. As Florio points out, this ordeal could also “expose yet another Park Avenue Keystone Cops investigation and/or kangaroo court process.”
After having learned from the Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott appeals, the writer ultimately surmises that the NFL didn’t want to deal with the impending “P.R. crisis” that would surely accompany the process.
There have been some more important notes regarding Winston’s suspension. We’ve compiled those below…
- While it was originally reported that the quarterback would be suspended for three games, the NFL could end up increasing the punishment. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Winston could be suspended for more games if he “fails to meet certain undisclosed requirements” that are expected to be handed out by the NFL.
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes Stroud’s sentiment, tweeting that the suspension “number has not yet been finalized.” The reporter adds that Winston nor the team have been notified of the suspension, and he notes that the quarterback “must meet a certain criteria related to his conduct to return to the field.”
- The decision will be a “major” disappointment to the Buccaneers organization, writes ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team was hoping for a bounce-back season following their 5-11 campaign, and they were also encouraged by the “type of behavior that Winston has demonstrated.” People around Tampa have also lauded the quarterback for his work with the surrounding communities.
- Schefter tweets that Winston will lose $124K in base salary thanks to the three-game ban, which is based on his $705K salary for next season. However, the quarterback will be making $20.9MM in 2019, meaning he’d be sacrificing a lot more money if the process is dragged out. This would be another reason why Winston would want to completely avoid the appeals process.
NFL Planning To Suspend QB Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston will indeed be disciplined for allegedly groping an Uber driver back in 2016. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the NFL is planning on suspending the Buccaneers quarterback for three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Winston won’t appeal the suspension.
We heard back in November that the NFL was investigating the former first-overall pick. A female Uber driver alleged that Winston inapporopriately touched her while the two were waiting in a fast food drive-thru. At the time, both Winston and his representative, Russ Spielman, denied the allegations.
We heard last night that the 24-year-old was bracing for some kind of discipline (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). Those reports indicated that Winston might not necessarily be disciplined for the incident; rather, he’d face a punishment for failing to “make a timely report of the allegation.” However, Stroud tweets that the quarterback will indeed be suspended for “violating the NFL’s player conduct policy.”
A three-game ban would be a tough blow for a Buccaneers squad that’s looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2007. While Tampa Bay finished an underwhelming 5-11 last season, Winston still had a standout campaign. He completed a career-high 63.8-percent of his passes for 3,504 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 13 games. He missed three games due to a shoulder injury.
Fortunately for Tampa Bay, they do have a capable backup in Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 35-year-old appeared in six games (three starts) for the team last season, compiling 1,103 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. The team is also rostering former Saints backup Ryan Griffin.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/18/18
Here are Monday’s minor moves.
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: RB Larry Rose
- Waived: DB Chucky Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/injured: S Maurice Fleming
Jameis Winston Investigation Ongoing
The NFL is still investigating Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for allegedly groping an Uber driver in 2016. It’s been seven months since an unnamed woman’s allegation surfaced, but NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) the matter “remains under review.” Winston has long denied any wrongdoing, but even if no charges were brought, the fourth-year quarterback could face NFL discipline. The Bucs open the season with games against the Saints, Eagles and Steelers. They re-signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started three games last season, in preparation for this, Stroud notes, adding that they believe the 35-year-old veteran is the best option to navigate that stretch if Winston is suspended. Of course, if the Bucs go into training camp without knowing if Winston will be suspended, it could make allocating reps difficult.
- File this away to the what-if department: had the Buccaneers not selected O.J. Howard at No. 19 overall last year, they were “poised” to take Dalvin Cook, Stroud notes. This would have been a wildly different path for Cook, who sat on the board until the Vikings selected him at No. 41 overall. Tampa Bay instead waited a year to make a big draft investment at this position, taking Ronald Jones at No. 38 this year.
Buccaneers Sign Rookie RB Ronald Jones
Ronald Jones is officially under contract with the Buccaneers. On Thursday, the Bucs announced that the second-round pick out of USC has signed his deal. With that, the Bucs have officially locked up their entire draft class. 
Heading into the draft, some believed that Jones would be a first-round selection. However, he did not help his cause with a poor showing at the Trojans’ pro day. The Bucs, meanwhile, believe that they have a sleeper on their hands after grabbing Jones with the No. 38 overall pick.
Last season, Jones racked up 1,550 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns in his final collegiate campaign. There are some concerns about Jones’ ability to handle a big workload, but the Bucs will be able to limit his usage thanks to the presence of Peyton Barber, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Charles Sims.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Bucs’ 2018 draft class, via PFR’s draft tracker:
- 1-12: Vita Vea, DT (Washington): Signed
- 2-38: Ronald Jones, RB (USC): Signed
- 2-53: M.J. Stewart, CB (North Carolina): Signed
- 2-63: Carlton Davis, CB (Auburn): Signed
- 3-94: Alex Cappa, G (Humboldt State): Signed
- 4-117: Jordan Whitehead, S (Pittsburgh): Signed
- 5-144: Justin Watson, WR (Pennsylvania): Signed
- 6-202: Jack Cichy, LB (Wisconsin): Signed
Jason Pierre-Paul Skips OTAs
- Jason Pierre-Paul didn’t show up for a single OTA practice, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter said it wasn’t a huge deal that Pierre-Paul didn’t show up, but it’s certainly not ideal for a team that traded two draft picks to acquire the defensive end. Laine did report that Pierre-Paul is expected to be with the team for their mandatory minicamp.
Bobo Wilson Impressing Coaches; Alex Cappa Could Start Soon
- The top four spots on the Buccaneers‘ WR depth chart are already spoken for, but Bobo Wilson, a 2017 UDFA who spent much of his rookie campaign on Tampa Bay’s practice squad, is making his case to stick around. As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes, head coach Dirk Koetter has spoken highly of Wilson, who will compete for reps with 2018 fifth-rounder Justin Hunter. Wilson also has the ability to return kicks, which will certainly help his cause.
- The Buccaneers traded a fourth- and sixth-round pick in this year’s draft to move up to the No. 94 overall selection, which they used to select Humboldt State OL Alex Cappa. Auman believes that Cappa may not be a starter right away, but that he will quickly push for a job as a regular on the offensive line (Twitter link).
Chris Godwin Suffered Breathing Issue In 2017
- Buccaneers second-year wide receiver Chris Godwin had an issue with his mouthguard last season that caused his breathing and stamina to suffer, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN (Twitter link). Laine notes that the issue has since been corrected and that she’s expecting “big things” from him in 2018. It’s significant because the Bucs have made it very clear they love Godwin, and the team could seek to get out of DeSean Jackson‘s contract after this year with Jackson having very little guaranteed money beyond this season.
Bucs Guaranteed $50K To UDFA QB
- The Buccaneers‘ UDFA contingent houses some players who received hefty guarantees to sign. Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen received $50K guaranteed to sign, in the form of a $15K signing bonus and a $35K base salary guarantee, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Temple tackle Cole Boozer received $45K to sign ($20K signing bonus, $25K base guarantee) and running back Shaun Wilson (Duke) collected a $10K signing bonus and saw Tampa Bay guarantee $10K of his base salary. Auman adds Western Michigan tight end Donnie Ernsberger received a $15K bonus.