Anonymous Scout: Jameis Winston's Mistakes 'Make It Hard For' Teams to Sign QB

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed quarterback Tom Brady, the team's former starter, Jameis Winston, is still without a home in free agency.

An anonymous NFC scout told NFL.com's Bucky Brooks that Winston's penchant for turnovers is one of the reasons teams have stayed away:

"Winston is hindered by his turnovers and previous transgressions. If you were worried about his mistakes and character during his pre-draft evaluation, you have enough evidence to move on from him at the moment. ... He's a talented player but those mistakes still hang over his head and make it hard for some teams to pull the trigger."

Winston threw an NFL-worst 30 interceptions last season, but he also tossed 33 touchdowns passes and became only the eighth quarterback in NFL history to reach the 5,000-yard passing mark in a single season.

There is no denying Winston's physical tools, as he won a Heisman Trophy and national championship in college while at Florida State, and the Bucs took him No. 1 overall in 2015.

Winston had his moments in Tampa, but his tenure was mostly a failure. He went just 28-42 as a starter, and although he did throw 121 touchdown passes in five seasons, he was also intercepted 88 times.

In addition, most franchises either already have a starting quarterback in place or have a plan to get one via the draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers could all use a signal-caller, but LSU's Joe Burrow is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Bengals, while the Dolphins and Chargers may vie for Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon's Justin Herbert in the top six picks.

The New England Patriots are the other team with the most glaring need under center after losing Brady to Tampa Bay.

Veteran Brian Hoyer and 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham are the quarterbacks on New England's roster, but it's difficult to envision either of them helping the Pats maintain the lofty standards they have set the past two decades.

Perhaps Winston could turn his career around in New England under head coach Bill Belichick, but it isn't likely Belichick would put up with Winston's mistakes for long.

Also, Winston must contend with veteran quarterback and one-time NFL MVP Cam Newton on the free-agent market after the latter was released by the Carolina Panthers. Newton has injury concerns, but teams may be more willing to roll the dice on him than Jameis.

Winston is only 26 years old and still has a chance to make something of himself in the NFL, but it is looking more and more like he will have to settle for a backup job in 2020.