Jameis Winston Opens Up About 2019 Season, Personal Struggles, and Playoff Outlook
Jameis Winston is no stranger to pressure on the football field, but during the 2019 NFL season - his final year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - he was carrying a lot more than just the weight of a contract year. On a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, the current New York Giants quarterback peeled back the curtain on a year that was just as turbulent off the field as it was on it.
“That was a contract year for me, man,” Winston said. “And that was one of the most up and down years off the field that I had in my life too.
I just asked my wife to marry me, man. And I was doing this freaking celibacy thing, like literally refraining from sex, bro.”
Winston’s decision, he explained, was rooted in his faith and family values. He said his parents challenged him on "shacking" - a Southern term for living with a partner before marriage - and that led him to make a major lifestyle shift. He moved out and bought his own property, trying to align his personal life with his spiritual beliefs during what he described as a chaotic period.
But the changes weren’t just about his living situation or relationship. Winston shared that 2019 was also the first season his father didn’t attend his games.
His family was dealing with multiple personal hardships, including health issues and the loss of loved ones. That emotional weight, combined with the stress of trying to prove himself in a contract year, created a storm that he admits took a toll.
He now uses that experience to counsel younger players, warning them that off-field instability doesn’t stay off the field for long.
“If your life is messy outside of football, it’s going to show up in your game,” Winston said. He added that teammates often recognize when someone is struggling before the media or fans ever catch on.
Statistically, Winston’s 2019 season was one of the wildest quarterback campaigns in recent memory. He threw for a league-leading 5,109 yards and racked up 33 touchdown passes - but also led the NFL with 30 interceptions.
It was the ultimate high-risk, high-reward performance, a season where he broke franchise records for single-season passing yards and touchdowns, yet also turned the ball over more than anyone else in the league. The Buccaneers finished 7-9 under head coach Bruce Arians.
Despite the gaudy numbers, Tampa Bay chose not to bring Winston back. Instead, they made a franchise-altering move by signing Tom Brady - and the rest is history.
Winston revealed he played through multiple injuries that season, including a knee issue, a broken thumb, and vision problems that ultimately required LASIK surgery. It was a season of physical pain, personal growth, and professional uncertainty - all colliding at once.
He married his longtime partner, Breion Allen, in March 2020. The couple now has two children.
On the podcast, Winston also weighed in on this year’s AFC playoff picture - and he’s not sold on the idea that the Buffalo Bills have a clear path just because Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are out of the mix.
“When you look at Denver, when you look at New England, and you look at the Houston Texans, I don’t see Buffalo beating them,” Winston said.
He believes the AFC is wide open - a toss-up - and even threw in a surprising take on the NFC race, saying, “I want to say it’s going to be between the Rams and the Seahawks.”
Buffalo, which secured the AFC’s No. 6 seed with a 12-5 record, edged out the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 in the wild-card round. Meanwhile, the Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention after a narrow 16-13 loss to the Chargers in mid-December - marking the first time since 2014 that Mahomes and Kansas City won’t be part of the postseason.
Winston’s skepticism about the Bills isn’t without context. Despite multiple playoff runs in the Josh Allen era, Buffalo has yet to break through to the Super Bowl.
The franchise famously went to four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s - and lost all four. That history, coupled with recent postseason exits at the hands of Mahomes and the Chiefs, keeps the pressure squarely on Buffalo to prove it can finish the job.
As for Winston, his reflections on 2019 are a reminder that NFL players are often battling more than just the opposing defense. For him, that season was a crucible - one that tested his body, his faith, and his future in the league. And while the stats from that year still spark debate, the story behind them adds a whole new layer to the conversation.