Jameis Winston said farewell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday morning, a day after Tom Brady signed to become the new franchise quarterback.
Winston wrote on Twitter: "It's been a great 5 seasons as a Buccaneer.
"All love and respect, I love Tampa and I look forward to seeing y'all again in February."
Tampa will host Super Bowl LV in February, and the Bucs brought in Brady - a six-time winner with the New England Patriots - in the hope he can get them to the big game.
But Winston's tweet implies he plans to be there as part of another team and, as a free agent, he can now look for his next team.
The Buccaneers selected Winston as the No 1 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, but his arrival failed to turn around a franchise that has not been to the playoffs since the 2007 season.
Only the Cleveland Browns have a longer NFL playoff drought.
Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019 but it was an up-and-down campaign, as he became the first player in league history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns (33) and 30 interceptions.
He threw for 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions in 72 career games with the Buccaneers and has a record of 28-42 in 70 games as a starter.