Analyst shares Jameis Winston contract idea for Browns

Even before quarterback Jameis Winston produced a roller-coaster ride of a performance in the Cleveland Browns' 41-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday night, some wondered if the Browns could afford to bring Winston back for another season while they are also stuck with what's left of the fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract they gave Deshaun Watson in March 2022. 

For a piece published Tuesday morning, ESPN's Ben Solak argued that Browns general manager Andrew Berry should try to prevent Winston from hitting the open market when the new league year opens in March 2025. 

"If I were running the Browns," Solak said, "I would be talking to Winston and his agent now. I would see if I could get him on an extension before free agency and before I commit to any particular solution to the Watson contract."

While the Browns are expected to hold onto Watson through at least next year, they reportedly will make him compete for the starting job once he's cleared to resume practicing. He has made just 19 regular-season starts since September 2022, had his 2023 campaign shortened because of a serious shoulder injury and most recently played poorly this fall before he went down with a ruptured Achilles on Oct. 20.

What was a 1-6 Browns side improved to 3-8 with Winston in the lineup before Monday night. Against the Broncos, he passed for 497 yards with four touchdowns, but he also had two of three interceptions returned to the house for scores. 

Solak thinks that "Winston is likely to get a bigger deal from another team than he would get from the Browns" during the upcoming offseason. However, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote on Tuesday that the 30-year-old's well-known history of committing avoidable turnovers is "a bonus in a strange sort of way" for Cleveland. 

"There won’t be as much of a land rush for his services in free agency," Florio said about Winston. "The Browns should be able to get him for an affordable contract, especially with so much money tied to Watson."

Of course, the Browns may soon want to get a look at 2023 fifth-round draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson, with the club's playoff hopes essentially gone following Monday's loss. Berry theoretically could sign Winston to a short-term extension before Christmas and then stash the veteran on the roster as a backup to keep him healthy as Thompson-Robinson closes the season out as the starter. 

History shows an athlete often prefers to reach free agency to maximize the value of their next deal. With that said, perhaps Winston would agree to run it back with the Browns for another season if he feels he can resurrect his career working under head coach Kevin Stefanski before a competition for the team's QB1 job gets underway next summer.