Jameis Winston sat on the sidelines as the Cleveland Browns wrapped up a turbulent season with yet another tough loss, falling 35-10 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. For Winston, this year has been a roller coaster.
Breion Shares Optimism for 31-Year-Old Jameis Winston’s Comeback
Winston’s situation leaves his future in the NFL hanging in the balance as he enters free agency. However, Winston’s wife, Breion, took to Instagram to share her optimism for the 31-year-old quarterback with a cute video of the couple enjoying each other’s company. She captioned her story, “Praying 31 is the best year yet.”
Winston spent most of this season as a backup to Deshaun Watson before starting in Week 8. His time under center had flashes of brilliance but frustrating turnovers, too. Over nine games in the 2024 season, Winston recorded 1,266 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions, finishing with an 88.5 passer rating.
He finished the 29th-ranked QB per PFN’s QB+ metric, ahead of Watson (43rd).
“If you were among the people calling for Jameis Winston over Deshaun Watson, you weren’t wrong. But it’s also clear that Winston is not the Cleveland Browns’ long-term answer.
Winston has been all over the place this year, with three games grading as a D or below and four games grading as a C or above.
It’s not a major surprise that Winston was benched after Week 15 when he threw three interceptions and had just 4.4 nYPA despite getting 6.3 YAC/Cp. He at least completed 64.0% of his passes to the right team (76% if you count the actual ones that were caught by someone) and converted on 37.5% of his third-down attempts.”
However, inconsistency and a shoulder injury landed him in the QB3 spot for the Browns’ finale. In Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Winston went 16 of 25 with 146 yards and three interceptions, his third game of the season with three or more turnovers.
While the challenges have been aplenty, Winston’s impact wasn’t entirely negative. Under his guidance, the Browns posted crucial wins over the Ravens and Steelers. He even improved the offense to an average of 365.4 yards per game during his starts. Comparatively, Watson struggled, averaging only 253.9 yards per game.
However, Winston couldn’t continue his form for long, and Cleveland’s head coach, Kevin Stefanski, opted to explore other options when the water went above head against the Chiefs. He started Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the game’s final stretch.
MORE: What Happened to Jameis Winston? How Bailey Zappe Took Over as Browns QB in Week 18
When benched, Winston said, “Serving this team, as I was, just not in the role I was. My role now is to serve DTR and help him be as best as he can be.”
The QB even backed Thompson-Robinson, saying, “I expect him to go out and do an amazing job. He’s a great player, a young guy, he’s curious and he’s excited for the opportunity to go out and lead this team.”
Free agency looms for the Alabama native whose future remains uncertain. Last offseason, he inked a one-year, $4 million deal with the Browns, which included a $2.79 million signing bonus.
Insiders suggest the Browns haven’t ruled out re-signing the No.1 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, but they’re also exploring alternatives.
The Browns, who finished 3-14, started on yet another search for answers under center. Breion’s hopeful Instagram post captures the sentiment of many fans rooting for a comeback story. It will be interesting to see whether Winston returns to Cleveland or finds a new home in 2025.