Coach Bruce Arians isn't prepared to endorse the re-signing of Winston, who's playing out the final year of his rookie contract this season, based on what he's seen from the 2015 first overall pick thus far, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "I'm going to pass on that one,'' Arians said. "I'm going to wait until the end of December. There's been really, really, really good and there's been some really, really bad. I'm just going to pass until it's over and then we'll make a decision.''
Arians was asked the pointed question Wednesday with respect to Winston, whose post-2019 NFL future partly rests in the head coach's hands. To Arians' credit, he didn't mince words with respect to the ambivalence he currently possesses about his fifth-year quarterback, who's generated a shaky 22:20 TD:INT and completed just 60.2 percent of his throws during his first 12 regular-season games running the coach's aggressive downfield scheme. The Buccaneers' current in-house options outside of Winston are Blaine Gabbert (IR-shoulder) and Ryan Griffin, but only the latter is under contract for 2020.