Bucs GM: Winston 'will be here' in 2019

It's uncertain who will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach in 2019, but on Monday general manager Jason Licht answered any remaining questions about the status of quarterback Jameis Winston.

"Jameis Winston will be here - we have him under contract for a year," Licht said, a day after the team fired coach Dirk Koetter.

"(Winston) has accomplished more than most of the elite quarterbacks have at his age through that time span (in their careers). There's a lot to like about Jameis."

Four years into his career, the 24-year-old has already set a number of franchise records. The Bucs picked up the fifth-year option on Winston's contract for $20.92 million at the start of the year. However, his future beyond the 2019 season is murky.

Winston has battled inconsistency throughout the his career. He was also suspended for the first three games of this season for violating the league's personal conduct policy and later benched in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick three games into his return. He won the starting job back, but only led the team to two wins over Tampa's last seven games.

Despite the poor results, the Buccaneers finished the season with the No. 1-ranked passing offense.

"I saw a lot in the second half of this season," Licht said. "Obviously we went through a lot at the beginning of this season - the suspension. There was a lot going on in this organization that was tough for a lot of people to overcome. I saw him bounce back at the end of the year and play very, very good in my eyes and a lot of people's eyes for the condition that he was in.

"We have a lot of faith in him."

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