3 Saints offseason decisions that could age poorly

Letting Jameis Winston walk

On one hand, you understand why the Saints didn't seem overly invested in bringing backup quarterback Jameis Winston back on a new deal this offseason. You can always find a cheaper backup QB, and Winston probably didn't do himself a favor by openly disregarding his coach's play call in the last game of the season. And generally speaking, Derek Carr's not one to miss games – he played all 17 last year, and has played in – and started – at least 15 games in every one of his 10 year career.

But as far as backups go, Winston's among the NFL's best. In four seasons with the Saints, Winston made 10 starts, won six of them, and had nine more touchdown throws (20) than interceptions (11). Trying to hype up backup QB stats is kind of just splitting hairs, but he knew the offense and was seemingly well-liked in the locker room. Now the Saints will rely on either Kellen Mond or Nathan Peterman to back Carr up, both of whom are decidedly worse than Winston. And yeah, if you're relying on any of those three, your season's probably over anyways – but the Saints definitely got worse at that position this offseason.