The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jameis Winston aren't wasting any time in their new partnership.
General manager Jason Licht announced Friday that Winston has signed his rookie contract, one day after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports that the former Florida State quarterback signed a four-year, $23.35 million deal that includes a $16.7 million signing bonus, according to a source.
Winston was asked during his introductory press conference if he had any concerns about the scrutiny he'll inevitably face as the first pick.
"I've been up under a microscope for the past two years like no one else, so I'm kind of used to that," he said. "I'm just ready to play football. I'm ready to get involved in the community, I'm ready to just do positive things and move forward."
A few other notes from the presser:
» On choosing 3 as his uniform number: "That was my first number ever. So I just look at it as a new beginning. In high school I wore No. 8, in college I wore No. 5, and five plus three is eight and five minus three is two, you know? Addition and subtraction." Florida State education!
» On throwing to Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans: "Oh my man. That's another important thing that I'm blessed to be a Buc. I had Kelvin Benjamin at Florida State, but now I got two of 'em! Two 6-foot-5 receivers and that's a blessing."
» Winston caused a bit of an uproar when he tweeted (then deleted) a photo of him dining on crab legs after his selection. Winston, of course, earned a tidal wave of negative publicity when he got busted for shoplifting that same sea fare from a Tallahassee grocery story in 2014. On Friday, he explained that the crabs were a gift from "Captain Keith" from the Discovery Channel reality show Deadliest Catch. Seriously.
"I wasn't thinking what would come from it. I was just showing thanks to a dear friend of mine that I was blessed for him to provide the party for my family with the crab legs. ... That's the only reason I took the picture down. I didn't want any negative publicity for this day because that took it away from this whole organization and my family. I never would have expected that."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps the first round of the NFL Draft. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
