The 2021 season will be Jameis Winston’s chance at redemption

The New Orleans Saints added Jameis Winston last offseason. It was a head-scratching move for many around the league, but for Winston, it didn’t seem like he had a second thought about becoming a backup for the first time in his career.

There was no question about it — the former No. 1 overall pick was going to be behind future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. It turned out that he was even behind former BYU standout Taysom Hill.

While that may not have sat well, it’s clear that, in 2021, Jameis Winston will be back with a vengeance.

The New Orleans Saints have all the chips in place for Jameis Winston to restore himself as one of the big-time quarterbacks in the NFL.

Winston will be the leader of a Saints team that many expect to absolutely fall of a cliff without Brees leading the way.

While the core is still in tack, New Orleans had to gut the team of several high-impact players this offseason. Hopefully, they’ll return some of that talent to the Big Easy in the end-of-April NFL Draft.

The offensive line and the bulk of the threats on that side of the ball are still there for Winston, and that’s all he can ask for. Along those lines, he’ll have an elusive running back that’s also a four-time Pro Bowler.

Winston should be able to use that to his advantage. While it’s tough to say this receiving corp is better than the Chris Godwin-Mike Evans duo in his last season in Tampa Bay, Winston will have the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year at his disposal.

With Thomas there, Winston should be primed for a season at least similar to his 2019 campaign. Let’s also remember that back in 2019 while the Bucs had a top-rushing defense, they had one of the worst passing defenses.

It was a quick game and Tampa put points on the board. Give Winston something like that again with the right offense, and the results should be different.

Winston threw for over 5,100 yards, the most in the NFL. While he did have 30 interceptions, that’s where Sean Payton comes in and changes how he both sees the field and where the receivers are placed to help him make easier throws.

With Payton leading the charge and Winston in the midst of his prime looking to make a return to prominence, the cards are set for another NFC South title run, but it’ll all rest on Winston’s ability to both accurately throw the ball and become a top-tier game manager.