Steve Young says Bucs would be ‘nuts’ to move on from Jameis Winston

TAMPA — Steve Young knows what it’s like to be tossed overboard by the Bucs. A first-round pick in the supplemental draft in 1984, he played two seasons before being traded to the 49ers, where he enjoyed a Hall of Fame career and won a Super Bowl.

Perhaps for that reason, and plenty of other similar examples of the Bucs giving up too early on their quarterback, Young says the Bucs would be “nuts" to move on from Jameis Winston in 2020.

“It’s funny, because I’m involved in this story,'' Young said on ESPN Friday. "I mean Doug Williams, myself and Trent Dilfer, there’s quarterbacks who played in Tampa and then went on and won Super Bowls.

''There shouldn’t be any context, but I feel like there’s something to Tampa Bay holding onto their quarterback and doing it. You know, look, there’s no question that Jameis Winston is reckless. But he was like spectacularly reckless. And by the end of the season, I felt like, look, I would love to take Jameis Winston and try to refine the backside of all of that stuff that caused all those turnovers and all that recklessness and take all of the positives and really believe that Jameis can be their franchise quarterback into the future.''

Winston led the NFL in passing this season with 5,109 yards and threw 33 touchdowns, both club records. But he also threw 30 interceptions and lost five fumbles.

But Young believes it would be a mistake not to stick with their No. 1 pick from 2015.

"I think they’d be nuts to turn the corner from Jameis,'' Young said. "I think Jameis is their future. Let’s re-sign him and get him coached up, get rid of the recklessness. Let’s go all in.'’