Godwin: Jameis Winston Got 'More of the Blame Than He Deserved' for 30 INTs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin and his teammates are excited about the arrival of Tom Brady, but Godwin is still going to bat for former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston.

In an interview with The Boardroom (h/t ESPN), Godwin said Winston didn't deserve full blame for many of the 30 interceptions he threw last season:

"I definitely think he got more of the blame than he deserved. I think he's a really, really talented quarterback. Obviously, there's some things that he does that you can't teach, and there are some plays that he made that just weren't smart plays.

"But a lot of the interceptions and the mistakes that he made, I would say at least half of them were because of a bad read on somebody else's part."

While Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards and also threw 33 touchdowns last season, the 30 interceptions prompted the Bucs to consider other options, and they jumped at the chance to sign arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.

Although Winston's mistakes hurt the Bucs on many occasions last season and contributed to their 7-9 record, Godwin also benefited from the quarterback's play. The 24-year-old set career highs with 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns.

Even so, Godwin admitted he was far from perfect on the field personally and noted that the same went for his teammates:

"There have been times where receivers have ran the wrong route. I've been guilty of either running a wrong route or just being in a different spot than he thought I was going to be, and then you get intercepted and you get a turnover. It's not just him. I think people that are really entrenched in football understand that—that the quarterback gets a lot more of the blame than they deserve. Sometimes they get a lot more of the credit than they deserve too. But that's just the nature of the position."

During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times), Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians pointed to Winston's "regression" in the final two games of the 2019 season as a reason why the Bucs looked at other options.

While Brady, who turns 43 in August, may not put up the same gaudy numbers Winston did, his 29 interceptions over the past four seasons combined suggest he will take care of the ball far more effectively.

Godwin has referred to Brady as "the G.O.A.T." and noted that he and the former New England Patriots star are excited to get on the field together.

As for Winston, his NFL future is uncertain despite the fact that he is a 26-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick who is coming off a 5,000-yard season.

Few teams are still looking for a starting quarterback on the free-agent market, and Winston also has to compete with fellow free-agent quarterback Cam Newton, who may be more attractive to teams because of his resume.

Winston may have to settle for a backup job in 2020 and wait his turn before getting another chance to prove he can be a starter in the league.