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New Orleans Saints: Can Jameis Winston adequately replace Drew Brees?

By Justin Dunbar

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 15: Alvin Kamara #41 and Jameis Winston #2 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate following a touchdown during their game against the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 15, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 15: Alvin Kamara #41 and Jameis Winston #2 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate following a touchdown during their game against the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 15, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Why is Winston here?

This is a question that may seem broad, but it does need to be answered.

Generally, a quarterback who throws for 5,000 yards and is a former No. 1 overall pick is not available to sign for around $1 million. Yet, Winston is not what you would call a normal quarterback.

Calling Winston volatile would be underselling him. We know that NFL coaches tend to not like mistakes, so the fact that he threw 30 interceptions in 2019 is certainly not something that is optimal.

Hence, why Winston is in New Orleans. The Saints did not have the cap space to afford a backup quarterback, but Winston clearly valued the team’s culture and knack for developing quarterbacks, and why wouldn’t he?

After all, this is the same team that gave Teddy Bridgewater a chase to showcase his abilities, and now, Bridgewater is the starting quarterback for the Panthers and is making over $20 million per season.

In other words, Winston’s performance with the Saints could define his future. Should he struggle with an innovative offensive head coach and a stable organization, it is hard to think he is going to land a starting opportunity again.

However, if all goes well, I definitely could see him drawing interest from other organizations, if not the Saints should Brees retire after this year.

Thus, there is a lot at stake for Winston. Not only is he trying to lead a team that currently is the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but he is essentially playing for his career. Nobody said that this isn’t going to be exciting!

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