Donovan McNabb Says Jameis Winston Would 'Kind of Flourish' in Patriots Offense

Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said Jameis Winston would thrive in the New England Patriots offense if signed to replace the legendary Tom Brady.

Winston, who spent the past five years as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter, is one of the limited number of QB options still available in free agency after Brady announced his signing with the Bucs on Friday.

"I think he would kind of flourish in the New England offense," McNabb told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday. "... It'd be more dink-and-dunk, protect the football, and all a sudden we're talking about New England again possibly winning the AFC East."

Michael Giardi of NFL Network reported Friday it "seems unlikely" the Patriots pursue Winston.

The 26-year-old Florida State product is a conundrum. He's a playmaker with the arm talent to make any throw, which he showcased last season with Tampa Bay by recording a league-leading 5,109 passing yards with 33 touchdowns (second in the NFL).

Turnovers are a significant problem, though. His 30 interceptions in 2019 were nine more than any other quarterback, and he also fumbled 12 times, with five resulting in a loss of possession.

After two decades of remarkably efficient play from Brady, switching to the high-risk, high-reward style Winston represents would be a major change of course for the Patriots.

If McNabb's comments are true, however, and the Pats' staff led by head coach Bill Belichick could find a way to limit his turnovers, the 2015 Pro Bowl selection presents the most upside of any available free-agent option.

The only quarterback seemingly available via any avenue (free agency, trade or the draft) with a better overall track record is the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton. He faces injury questions after being limited to two appearances last season because of a Lisfranc fracture in his foot.

New England's other option is giving Jarrett Stidham, a 2019 fourth-round pick, a year to prove himself after some promising outings during last year's preseason. He posted a 102.6 passer rating with four touchdowns and one interception in 90 exhibition attempts as a rookie.

Stidham spoke with ESPN's Mike Reiss in January about getting to learn from Brady:

"It was priceless. It's going to be really cool one day when I can sit there and tell my children, or my grandkids one day, that I got to be in the same quarterback room and talking about coverages and different passing concepts with Tom.

"He's a phenomenal teammate, a phenomenal person, obviously a phenomenal player. There was just so much that I got to learn from him. He was obviously very open to me about stuff that he's thought about the game of football, and stuff like that. It was great. I can't speak highly enough of that guy."

The Patriots haven't tipped their hand, but they're finding out the difficulty so many other teams have faced over the past 20 years: The supply of franchise QBs doesn't meet the demand.