The NFL offseason is officially here and the biggest question for the Cleveland Browns remains Myles Garrett's future with the team. The star defender officially requested a trade from the team after the season. So far, the Browns haven't shown any indication that they will trade him this offseason. Garrett, on the other hand, is continuing his press tour to force his way out of Cleveland, creating a rift that could potentially turn ugly between the sides.
Jameis Winston recently revealed his thoughts about the situation and explained how he pressed Garrett about his desire to leave Cleveland. Speaking to Cam Jordan on the Off the Edge podcast, Winston detailed his conversation with Garrett. Per Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns quarterback didn't have anything negative to say about the Browns organization.
"And what I saw from the organization, it didn’t seem like an organization that was deteriorating. I saw bad treatment (by some booing fans) of Deshaun Watson, I saw lack of execution from the offense. I saw me throwing away some games, you know, but at the end of the day, I didn’t see anything organizationally that showed them to having a bad culture."Jameis Winston
While Winston went on to say that he understood Garrett's desire to win and that individual accomplishments don't mean much if you aren't winning, the veteran QB's willingness to defend the organization is certainly surprising. Winston is a free agent this offseason and has no reason to go to bat for the Browns.
The 31-year-old quarterback has gone public with his desire to return to Cleveland next season. At the same time, there is a big uncertainty about the QB situation, and Winston may not be high on the list of signal-callers for the Browns. These latest statements, however, reiterate how happy Winston was in Cleveland. He would not be a bad option behind a rookie quarterback for a season.