Jameis Winston can count on one person having his back, that would be his top receiver, Mike Evans. As you may know, Winston has a one-year team option left on his contract next season, and today Evans answered whether or not Winston deserves to be here longer.

“Do I think? Yes, absolutely,” Evans said. “You got to look at the numbers, he’s a young guy, look at all the other young quarterback’s numbers when they were at his point of his career, and where he’s been. Tampa hasn’t been the easiest place to win, so, what he’s done is pretty impressive to me.”

Evans would be familiar with the difficulty of winning in Tampa. His rookie year he saw the Bucs go 2-14, which landed them Jameis Winston. These two players have been at the forefront of trying to turn around a decade-long drought in the playoffs, with their closest efforts coming from a 9-7 record in 2016.

This 2018 season has fallen short once more, due in part to a high amount turnovers and uncertainty at choosing a starting quarterback. Through all of that, Evans believes in Winston, seeing the hard work he’s put in every day, even when he hasn’t been the starter.

“Jameis has done an awesome job,” Evans said. “As far as handling the situation he’s been put in, he’s one of the toughest guys I’ve been around. He prepares each week like he’s starting, Fitz did as well, so, I know it’s a difficult situation for them.”

The final year on his contract is not guaranteed except for injury. Winston certainly has his detractors, and his future on the Bucs is unknown, but he does have the support of the best receiver on this team, and that can go a long way for him.