Tampa Bay’s NFL team gets its name from the Buccaneers of lore that once called the shores of Florida home, traveling on pirate ships bristling with cannons. Watching Jameis Winston on the field, you can’t help but imagine a massive cannon hurling a football for as far as the eye can see.

Of course, the world’s most powerful cannons can sometimes be the least accurate. It’s hard to combine raw energy with precision-tuned performance. So, many Bucs fans will argue that building a franchise around a quarterback like Winston that has thrown 82 interceptions since 2015, including a league-high 24 this year, is risky.

With 105 total turnovers in 70 games, it’s like betting on an MMA fighter at an MMA online betting site – the higher the risk tolerance, the higher the potential reward. But one costly kick or punch could make you lose your bet.

With an arm like the one Winston has, throwing up numbers like 458 passing yards in a single game in Sunday’s win at Detroit while playing with a glove and a splint on his broken thumb, it’s a gamble that can really pay off. Winston became the first QB in NFL history to have back-to-back games with 450 yards passing, which is among the records he’s set, including becoming the first quarterback in league history begin his NFL career with back-to-back 4,000-yard games.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has helped Winston become a more prolific quarterback in several areas, and is leading the league in passing yards with 4,573, and his 30 touchdowns are not only a franchise record, but they are also the second-most in the NFL this year behind Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson’s 33.

Part of the reason for Winston’s success this season is third-year receiver Chris Godwin, who had a breakout season playing next to Pro Bowler Mike Evans. Both receivers went over 1,000 yards this season, and are poised to make the Pro Bowl. Godwin is headed to his first Pro Bowl after a career-defining year on the field, leading the Bucs with 86 catches for 1,333 yards (15.5 avg.) and nine touchdowns.

Godwin currently has the second-most receiving yards and touchdowns, and could see his contract extended this offseason – along with Winston. The Bucs have a big decision to make in terms of either using the franchise tag on Winston and hope that one more year with Arians will create the opportunity for him to reduce his high number of turnovers in 2020, or take an even bigger risk on Winston with a long-term contract extension.

Either way it’s a gamble, and one that is going to cost the Bucs upwards of $27 million – for one year or multiple years.