Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said Winston will be back with the team in 2019, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.
Winston finished out his fourth NFL season in good health, allowing the Bucs to drop the fifth-year option on his contract if they'd rather have an extra $20.9 million in cap space. He may not have played well enough to warrant a long-term extension, but it's hard to see how the team would find an upgrade for 2019. Licht is probably hoping to pair Winston with a draft pick, as 36-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and should be able to find high-end backup money from another team. Licht will need to outline his plan at quarterback in order to attract a desirable replacement for fired head coach Dirk Koetter. The team has no shortage of playmakers on offense, with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate all signed through at least 2020, while DeSean Jackson likely will be released and slot receiver Adam Humphries can become an unrestricted free agent in March.