At a time when a failed former NFL quarterback is trying to play baseball, a successful (so far) potential franchise quarterback has recently mused about doing the same thing.
In an appearance earlier this week on The Dan Patrick Show, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was asked if he could rule out a return to baseball.
“I guess I gotta say that right now,” Winston said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “But I love baseball so much. The highlight of my year was being able to throw the first pitch out at a Yankees-Rays game. So that was pretty good for me.”
Winston’s contract contains a no-baseball clause, so he won’t be playing baseball for a while. At one point, some (i.e., me) wondered whether Jameis would explore a return to baseball if he struggles to become a good-to-great NFL quarterback. With Winston on track to becoming a good-to-great NFL quarterback, there’s no reason to bid farewell to football.
Unless, of course, Winston could be a truly great baseball player. All things equal, it makes much more sense for an athlete to play baseball or basketball, where the career may be longer and the body will be in much better overall condition when the career ends. The problem is that the skill set is more specialized and more rare when it comes to baseball and basketball; few great football players will or would have been great baseball or basketball players.