Background and career
Jameis Lanaed Winston ( JAY-miss; born January 6, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Winston played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, where he became the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy and led his team to victory in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game during his freshman year in 2013. He was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL draft. Winston set several franchise rookie records for the Buccaneers, earning him Pro Bowl honors. He led the league in passing yards in 2019, but also led the league in interceptions and set the NFL season record for interceptions returned for touchdowns that season. He was unable to reach the playoffs with Tampa Bay. After his rookie contract with the Buccaneers expired, Winston played for the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns, alternating as a starter and backup, before joining the Giants in 2025.
Winston was born in Bessemer, Alabama, on January 6, 1994. He attended Hueytown High School, where he played both football and baseball. Winston was considered the best dual-threat quarterback recruit in the nation by Rivals.com, and the best overall quarterback recruit by ESPN. Winston was also named the MVP of the ESPN RISE Elite 11 quarterback camp. Additionally, Winston earned the Gatorade Player of the Year recognition for the state of Alabama. Winston committed to attend Florida State University on February 3, 2012. The Texas Rangers selected Winston in the 15th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft out of high school. Though the Rangers proposed allowing him to play for the Florida State Seminoles football team while working out with their baseball organization, Winston decided not to sign.
Winston redshirted during the 2012 college football season behind senior quarterback EJ Manuel.
Prior to the 2013 season, Winston was named Florida State's starting quarterback. In his college debut, he completed 25 of 27 passes with four passing touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown in a 41–17 victory over the University of Pittsburgh. Winston helped lead the team to an undefeated 13–0 regular season record, including a 45–7 victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship against Duke. For his successes in 2013, Winston earned numerous accolades. He was named the 2013 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year to go along with winning the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, as well as the nickname "Famous Jameis". In addition, he was named as a consensus All-American. Most notably, he won the Heisman Trophy on December 14, 2013, beating out quarterbacks A. J. McCarron, Jordan Lynch, and Johnny Manziel, the previous winner, as well as running backs Tre Mason and Andre Williams. He became the second freshman to win the award, after Manziel won the previous year. He also became the youngest to win the award, at 19 years and 342 days. On January 6, 2014, Winston's 20th birthday, Florida State defeated Auburn 34–31 in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. Winston was named the Offensive MVP of the game after passing for 235 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left. Winston finished his freshman season with a conference-leading 4,057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, which set an ACC record and a Division I FBS freshman record, and his 184.8 passer rating led the NCAA.
Winston started 13 games his redshirt sophomore season. He did not play in one game due to suspension. After a 13–0 regular season, the Seminoles were selected to play in the 2015 Rose Bowl, a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff, against Oregon. Oregon would win the game by a score of 59–20, giving Winston his only loss as a starter during his college career. Winston finished the season with a conference-leading 3,907 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. He finished in sixth place in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2014. After the season, Winston decided to forgo the remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL draft. He finished his career 26–1 as a starter and completed 562 of 851 passes for 7,964 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.
Winston chose Florida State in part because he was allowed to play for the Florida State Seminoles baseball team in addition to football. A switch-hitting batter and a right-handed thrower, he played as an outfielder and a pitcher as a freshman in 2013. He batted .235 with a .723 on-base plus slugging in 119 at-bats and had a 3.00 earned run average in 27 innings pitched. Prior to the 2014 season, Winston was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America as a 3rd-team utility player.
