The Buccaneers drafted Jameis Winston to be the face of the franchise when they used the first overall pick on him in 2015. But the team’s marketing efforts for 2018 don’t include the quarterback.
Winston is conspicuously absent in the four short promotional videos the Bucs released bearing a new “Wreck Havoc” theme, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The team has no plans to release any other videos before the season, according to Auman.
Gerald McCoy, Mike Evans and Kwon Alexander are among the players featured by the Bucs.
“I’ve been in this league for nine years, and people still try to doubt me,” defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said in a video promoted on the team’s Twitter account Wednesday. “He’s overhyped. He’s too nice. He’s not serious. . . . Don’t make me laugh.”
A giant mural of Winston continues to hang outside Raymond James Stadium, but a local Ford dealer did replace a billboard featuring Winston alongside former Rays star Evan Longoria, per Auman.
Winston, of course, will serve a three-game suspension to start the season.