Jameis Winston facts for kids
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Winston with the New Orleans Saints in 2021
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| No. 5 – Cleveland Browns | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 6, 1994 Bessemer, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 231 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Hueytown | ||||||||||||
| College: | Florida State (2012–2014) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Jameis Winston (born January 6, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback. He plays for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL).
Winston played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. He became the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy. He also led his team to win the 2014 BCS National Championship Game in his first year. After his second college season, Winston was chosen first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL draft.
He set many rookie records for the Buccaneers and was even picked for the Pro Bowl. In 2019, he led the league in passing yards. After playing for the Buccaneers, Winston joined the New Orleans Saints. He played there for four seasons, sometimes as a starter and sometimes as a backup. He then signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2024.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Jameis Winston was born in Bessemer, Alabama, on January 6, 1994. He went to Hueytown High School. There, he played both football and baseball.
Experts like Rivals.com and ESPN thought he was the best high school quarterback in the country. He was known for being a "dual-threat" quarterback, meaning he could both pass and run well. Winston also won the Gatorade Player of the Year award for Alabama.
He decided to go to Florida State University for college. The Texas Rangers baseball team drafted him in 2012. But Winston chose not to sign with them, wanting to play both sports at Florida State.
College Career Highlights
Football Achievements
2012 Season: Learning the Ropes
Winston did not play in the 2012 college football season. He was a "redshirt" player, which means he practiced with the team but didn't play in games. This allowed him to gain experience without using a year of his college eligibility.
2013 Season: A Star is Born
Before the 2013 season, Winston became Florida State's main quarterback. In his very first college game, he played amazingly. He completed 25 out of 27 passes and scored four passing touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown, helping his team win 41–17.
Winston led his team to a perfect 13–0 record during the regular season. They also won the ACC Championship 45–7.
For his great performance in 2013, Winston received many awards. He won the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year. He also won the AP Player of the Year Award and the Heisman Trophy. He was the second freshman (first-year student) to win the Heisman. At 19 years old, he was also the youngest player to win this famous award.
On his 20th birthday, January 6, 2014, Florida State won the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. They beat Auburn 34–31. Winston was named the Offensive MVP of the game. He threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, including the winning pass with only 13 seconds left. He finished his first season with 4,057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns. These numbers set new records for the ACC.
2014 Season: Continued Success
Winston started 13 games in his second season. He led the Seminoles to another great 13–0 regular season. They played in the 2015 Rose Bowl, which was a semifinal game for the College Football Playoff. Oregon won that game 59–20. This was Winston's only loss as a starting quarterback in college.
He finished the season with 3,907 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. After this season, Winston decided to leave college early. He entered the 2015 NFL Draft. He ended his college career with an amazing 26 wins and only 1 loss as a starter.
College Football Statistics
| Jameis Winston | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2013 | Florida State | 257 | 384 | 66.9 | 4,057 | 40 | 10 | 77 | 193 | 2.5 | 4 |
| 2014 | Florida State | 305 | 467 | 65.4 | 3,907 | 25 | 18 | 57 | 65 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Total | 562 | 851 | 66.0 | 7,964 | 65 | 28 | 134 | 258 | 1.9 | 7 | |
College Awards and Honors
- Heisman Trophy (2013)
- Walter Camp Award (2013)
- Manning Award (2013)
- BCS National Champion (2014)
- BCS National Championship Offensive MVP (2014)
- Consensus All-American (2013)
- 2× First-team All-ACC (2013, 2014)
- ACC Player of the Year (2013)
- ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2013)
- ACC Rookie of the Year (2013)
- ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year (2013)
- ACC Athlete of the Year (2014)
Baseball Career
Winston also played for the Florida State Seminoles baseball team. He was a switch-hitting batter and a right-handed pitcher. In 2013, he played as an outfielder and a pitcher. He had a batting average of .235.
In 2014, he was named a preseason All-American for baseball. He continued to play both sports in college.
College Baseball Statistics
| Season | Team | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO | BB | BA | H | R | HR | RBI | BB | SLG/OBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Florida State | 27.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3.00 | 21 | 12 | .235 | 28 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 22 | .345/.377 |
| 2014 | Florida State | 33.1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1.08 | 31 | 7 | .128 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .179/.292 |
| Total | 60.1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1.95 | 62 | 19 | .208 | 33 | 27 | 0 | 13 | 30 | ||
Professional Football Career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rookie Years
2015 Season: NFL Debut
Winston played his first NFL game against the Tennessee Titans. His very first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. This was the first time a rookie's first pass was returned for a touchdown since 1991.
On November 22, 2015, he tied an NFL rookie record. He threw five touchdown passes in one game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Winston set several rookie records for the Buccaneers. These included most pass attempts, completions, passing yards, and touchdowns. He became only the third rookie quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season. He was also named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. After the season, he was selected for his first Pro Bowl game.
2016 Season: Building on Success
Winston started his second NFL season strong. He threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns in a win against the Atlanta Falcons. He earned the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for this game.
The Buccaneers had some tough times early in the season. But they then went on a five-game winning streak. This was their first such streak since their Super Bowl-winning season. Winston led the team to their first winning season in six years. He also became the first NFL quarterback to start his career with two seasons of over 4,000 passing yards.
2017 Season: Dealing with Injuries
In 2017, Winston dealt with a shoulder injury. He missed three games because of it. Despite the injury, he became the second-youngest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career passing yards. The Buccaneers finished the season with a 5–11 record. Winston ended the year with 3,504 passing yards and 19 touchdowns.
2018 Season: Ups and Downs
Winston missed the first three games of the 2018 season due to a suspension. He returned in Week 4 but did not start. He later took over as the starting quarterback.
In Week 13, he broke the Buccaneers' record for career passing touchdowns with 81. Three weeks later, he broke the franchise record for career completions. He finished the 2018 season with 2,992 passing yards and 19 touchdowns.
2019 Season: Leading the League in Yards
In 2019, Winston broke the Buccaneers' franchise record for career passing yards. He had a great game in Week 4, throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns. This earned him the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.
He became the first Buccaneers quarterback to throw for 100 career touchdowns. In Week 14, he threw for a career-best 456 passing yards and five touchdowns. He broke the Buccaneers' single-season passing yards record. He also became the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for over 4,100 yards in a season.
Winston finished the 2019 season leading the NFL in passing yards with 5,109. He also threw 33 touchdowns. He was the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a single season. After this season, the Buccaneers decided not to re-sign him. They brought in Tom Brady as their new quarterback.
New Orleans Saints: Backup and Starter
2020 Season: Joining a New Team
Winston joined the New Orleans Saints in 2020. He mostly played as a backup to Drew Brees. In a playoff game against his old team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winston threw a 56-yard touchdown pass on a trick play.
2021 Season: Starting for the Saints
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In 2021, Winston re-signed with the Saints and was named the starting quarterback. In his first start for the Saints, he threw for 147 yards and five touchdowns. The Saints won that game 38–3.
However, his season ended early in Week 8. He suffered a torn ACL and other knee damage.
2022 and 2023 Seasons: Injuries and Backup Role
Winston signed a new contract with the Saints in 2022. He dealt with back fractures that season. In 2023, he re-signed again but played in only a few games. He mostly served as a backup.
Cleveland Browns: New Chapter
In March 2024, Winston signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns. He became the starting quarterback in Week 8 after an injury to Deshaun Watson.
In his first start for the Browns, Winston threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns. He led Cleveland to a 29–24 victory. In Week 13, he set a Browns single-game record with 497 passing yards and four touchdowns. However, he also threw three interceptions in that game.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2015 | TB | 16 | 16 | 6–10 | 312 | 535 | 58.3 | 4,042 | 7.6 | 68 | 22 | 15 | 84.2 | 54 | 213 | 3.9 | 21 | 6 | 27 | 190 | 6 | 2 |
| 2016 | TB | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 345 | 567 | 60.8 | 4,090 | 7.2 | 45 | 28 | 18 | 86.1 | 53 | 165 | 3.1 | 14 | 1 | 35 | 239 | 10 | 6 |
| 2017 | TB | 13 | 13 | 3–10 | 282 | 442 | 63.8 | 3,504 | 7.9 | 70 | 19 | 11 | 92.2 | 33 | 135 | 4.1 | 17 | 1 | 33 | 207 | 15 | 7 |
| 2018 | TB | 11 | 9 | 3–6 | 244 | 378 | 64.6 | 2,992 | 7.9 | 64 | 19 | 14 | 90.2 | 49 | 281 | 5.7 | 18 | 1 | 27 | 157 | 7 | 3 |
| 2019 | TB | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 380 | 626 | 60.7 | 5,109 | 8.2 | 71 | 33 | 30 | 84.3 | 59 | 250 | 4.2 | 26 | 1 | 47 | 282 | 12 | 5 |
| 2020 | NO | 4 | 0 | — | 7 | 11 | 63.6 | 75 | 6.8 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 83.5 | 8 | −6 | −0.8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | NO | 7 | 7 | 5–2 | 95 | 161 | 59.0 | 1,170 | 7.3 | 72 | 14 | 3 | 102.8 | 32 | 166 | 5.2 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 69 | 2 | 1 |
| 2022 | NO | 3 | 3 | 1–2 | 73 | 115 | 63.5 | 858 | 7.5 | 51 | 4 | 5 | 79.5 | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 74 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | NO | 7 | 0 | — | 25 | 47 | 53.2 | 264 | 5.6 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 57.4 | 5 | −6 | −1.2 | −1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | CLE | 12 | 7 | 2–5 | 181 | 296 | 61.1 | 2,121 | 7.2 | 89 | 13 | 12 | 80.6 | 25 | 83 | 3.3 | 13 | 1 | 24 | 130 | 5 | 2 |
| Career | 105 | 87 | 36–51 | 1,944 | 3,178 | 61.2 | 24,225 | 7.6 | 89 | 154 | 111 | 86.4 | 323 | 1,297 | 4.0 | 26 | 12 | 219 | 1,372 | 60 | 26 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | NO | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 56 | 56.0 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 158.3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 0–0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 56 | 56.0 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 158.3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Records and Achievements
NFL Records
- Most passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie quarterback: 5 (tied record)
- Youngest player to pass for 3,000 yards (21 years, 342 days)
- Youngest player to pass for 4,000 yards (21 years, 363 days)
- Most seasons of passing for 4,000 yards to begin a career: 2 (2015–2016)
- Most consecutive 450+ yards passing games: 2 (2019)
- Most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a season: 7 (2019)
- First player in NFL history to throw 30-or-more touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season (2019)
Buccaneers Franchise Records
Rookie Records
- Most passing touchdowns by a rookie – 22
- Most passing yards by a rookie – 4,042
- Most games started by a rookie – 16
- Most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback – 6
Game Records
- Most consecutive games of 300 yards passing – 6 (2019)
- Most passing touchdowns in a game – 5 (tied record)
- Most passing attempts in a game – 58
Season Records
- Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season – 6 (2015)
- Most passing touchdowns in a season – 33 (2019)
- Most passing yards in a season – 5,109 (2019)
- Most games of 300 yards passing in a single season – 11 (2019)
Career Records
- Most games of 300 passing yards – 27
- Most passing touchdowns – 121
- Most pass completions – 1,563
- Most passing yards – 19,737
- Most rushing yards by a quarterback – 1,044
Browns Franchise Records
Game Records
- Most passing yards by a QB in their Browns starting debut – 334 (October 28, 2024)
- Most passing yards in a game – 497 (December 2, 2024)
Images for kids
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Winston at Russ Chandler Stadium, 2014
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Winston in a game against the Tennessee Titans
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Winston committing one of his 35 turnovers during the 2019 season
See also
In Spanish: Jameis Winston para niños
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
