You would think the New Orleans Saints drafted Jameis Winston or he was on the roster for seven years by the affinity the fan base has for the quarterback. You certainly wouldn’t think he played his first 5 seasons for a divisional foe and was the catalyst for the Marshon Lattimore, Mike Evans feud. But the love is genuine and deep, and it’s reciprocated from Winston’s side.
There's no revenge game here for Jameis, actually quite the opposite. Saints fans have expressed it for years, and Winston playing the Saints on Sunday gives him the chance to tell Saints fans how much they have meant to him over the years.
"My heart and soul is with the Who Dats. But I'm grateful to be a New York Football Giant"
— Andre Johnson, Jr. (@AndreJohnsonTV) October 14, 2026
Jameis Winston breaking down the matchup against his former team, how only he can#Saints@FOX8NOLA pic.twitter.com/ekmvylJmN1
Jameis Winston became beloved by Saints fans quickly
In many ways, Winston is more of a figure than quarterback in New Orleans. As mentioned earlier, Winston didn’t spend long in New Orleans. He spent three years on the roster, two of which as backups, and started 10 games due to injuries.
That 2021 season still feels like one of the bigger what if moments in recent history. Sean Payton had Winston playing efficiently, and it’s worth wondering if Winston doesn’t get hurt and the Saints continue on that path that season, does Sean Payton leave and is Winston the quarterback for years to come? We’ll never know but the answer to the former feels like “no” if the Saints were successful the year after Drew Brees retired.
The following year, Winston played through injury and was quickly taken out. There was also the controversy about the expectation he’d get his job back when healthy. Nevertheless, he played and won enough games to pique the interest of what could have been and became a bit of an underdog, but the most important thing is the man we found out Winston was during New Orleans.
The public image of Winston was largely the crab leg incident and eating a W. His time in New Orleans was the moment people stopped laughing at Jameis as much as they started laughing with him.
The city of New Orleans and Saints fans obviously grew closer and closer to him and so did the rest of the league. The Jameis Winston we know today was first realized in New Orleans. We now know how charismatic, hilarious and what a leader he is.
Winston is easily one of the biggest personalities in the league, and it’s must watch anytime he speaks. Maybe it was the energy of the city or fans, but something during his time in New Orleans allowed him to be the full version of himself on a wide platform. There's so many opportunities for Winston post-career, and those became in clearer view in his years with the Saints.
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