Contract clause: Buccaneers’ Winston won’t be allowed to play pro baseball
Jameis Winston said he is good enough to play two sports professionally. However, the No. 1 overall pick in last week’s NFL Draft will have to be content quarterbacking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the next four or five years.
TheMMQB.com reported Monday that Winston’s four-year, $24.4 million deal contains a clause that prevents him from playing professional baseball.
Winston was a relief pitcher at Florida State and played two seasons. He was picked in the 15th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers, who also drafted Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Winston had seven saves and 31 strikeouts as the backup closer for the Seminoles in 2014.
Winston is eligible to be drafted in this year’s draft, scheduled for June 8 to 10.
In other Buccaneers news, the team will not pick up the fifth-year option for running back Doug Martin, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Martin, who rushed for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 starts as a rookie in 2012, has been limited by injuries the last two seasons.
Also: Former Louisiana State offensive lineman La’el Collins was interviewed by police for more than an hour about the shooting death of a pregnant woman in Baton Rouge, La.
Collins met with Baton Rouge police homicide detectives at Louisiana State Police headquarters as part of an investigation into the April 24 death of Collins’ former girlfriend, 29-year-old Brittney Mills.
Collins, an All-Southeastern Conference lineman who was considered a possible firstround pick before the investigation scared off teams, was not selected during last week’s NFL Draft. He is now an undrafted free agent.
Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, who did not have his fifth-year option picked up by the team, took out his frustration on social media.
Irvin wrote on Twitter with a series of tweets — some of them profanity-laced — that revealed his feelings about not receiving the option. The Seahawks would have been on the hook to pay Irvin $7.8 million in 2016.
“Worked for everything I got in my life this s--- will b no different!” Irvin tweeted. “I earns my keeps!”
The 27-year-old Irvin will play this season at $1.5 million and become a free agent at the end of the year.
Oakland Raiders wide receiver James Jones will be released to save the team $3.4 million against the 2015 salary cap.
Jones, 31, led the team in receptions last season with 73, including 31 on third down, and was targeted a team-leading 112 times in 2014.
The Washington Redskins waived former UNLV wide receiver Jerry Rice Jr.
The son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice spent last season on injured reserve after hurting his shoulder. The younger Rice signed with Washington last year after going undrafted.
Three former UNLV players will receive tryouts with teams in NFL minicamps, according to a university release.
Defensive back Mike Horsey will try out with the Green Bay Packers, defensive back Tajh Hasson with the Baltimore Ravens and defensive lineman Jordan Sparkman with the Jacksonville Jaguars.