Report: Bucs prefer Jameis Winston over Marcus Mariota

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' interest in former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota may not be as strong as recent reports suggest.

Tampa Bay is zeroing in on another quarterback: Florida State's Jameis Winston, according to Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. 

Bucs head coach Lovie Smith prefers Winston over Mariota and it was one of the reasons he hired Dirk Koetter as his offensive coordinator instead of Marc Trestman, Yasinskas reports. While Smith and Trestman share similar offensive philosophies, they have differing opinions on the two quarterbacks.

However, Yasinskas is quick to point out that what the Bucs end up doing with the No. 1 overall pick will depend largely on the scouting combine, pro days and individual interviews.  

Winston ran an offense similar to the Bucs' during his college career, which may explain why Smith prefers him. His off-field behavior raises some red flags, though, so Tampa will also have to decide whether he's a good fit for the locker room.