After two years of playing for Florida State, Jameis Winston entered the 2015 NFL draft. He was first pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and signed a four year contract for $23.35 million and a $16.7 million signing bonus. Now, he’s plays for the New Orleans Saints.
As a quarterback, Winston brought his high school football team to the state championship; USA Today named him “High School All-American.” All the while, he was the star of his school’s baseball team. The Texas Rangers even tried to draft him out of high school. However, he declined, opting instead to attend Florida State University: one of the few schools who allowed him to do both sports.
During his college career, Winston became the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy, since he brought his team to victory at the 2014 BCS National Championship. Additionally, he set an ACC freshman record with over 4,000 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns. The following year, he led his team to the Rose Bowl. His contributions did not go unnoticed: on top of countless awards, the ACC named him “Offensive Rookie of the Year,” “Rookie of the Year,” “Player of the Year,” and “Athlete of the Year.”
After getting signed to the Buccaneers, ESPN called him the best overall quarterback recruit. And that proved to be true: the NFL named him “Rookie of the Year,” and the Pro Bowl selected him as the first rookie quarterback in Buccaneers’ history. Meanwhile, he set franchise records, becoming the top rookie for passing touchdowns, as well as the youngest to ever throw 3K, 4K, and (second youngest to throw) 10K yards, on top of the youngest player to pass 40 touchdowns.
Most recently, he led the whole NFL in attempts, completing, and passing yards.