Jameis Winston betting on himself, New Orleans Saints to mold NFL future
Jameis Winston could’ve signed a high-value contract. But, instead, he’ll be on his way to the New Orleans Saints to back up Drew Brees.
The New Orleans Saints entered the draft with Drew Brees and Taysom Hill as the team’s only two quarterbacks.
After losing Teddy Bridgewater in free agency, it was clear the Saints needed to fill out their roster with another quarterback, but no one was thinking it would be former divisional rival Jameis Winston.
Winston was oddly one of the best and worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season. He tallied the most passing yards in the league as the only QB to notch over 5,000 yards. However, he led the league in interceptions with 30 as well.
Not receiving much praise with such inaccuracy, the Bucs knew they needed to move on. And, for Winston, he knew that to stay in the league as a starting quarterback he needed to fix those turnover problems that caused so much grief for the Bucs last season.
That’s why Winston put his trust in Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints. He knows they’re good enough to fix his issues or at least that could easily be his thought process. After all, why else would he turn down a “lucrative” offer elsewhere?
As the #Saints and FA QB Jameis Winston close in on a 1-year deal, worth noting Winston turned down a more lucrative offer elsewhere to learn from some of the best. The former #Bucs starter put the emphasis on his future in a smart choice.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2020
The Saints don’t have the money to pay Winston that much.
After the announcement of Winston broke early yesterday morning, the Saints then announced that they’d be signing Hill to a two-year deal worth $21 million with over two-thirds of it guaranteed.
Whenever the details surrounding Winston’s contract are released, you can bet they’ll be underwhelming.
However, it’s more about getting better and finding an organization that can bring out the strengths of a quarterback, and Winston certainly feels that organization can be the Saints. If he can prove himself, he may also find himself captaining the ship after Brees’ retires.
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While that’s not for certain, Winston, like Bridgewater did, clearly finds the value in sitting behind Brees for a season before finding his next permanent NFL home.