Jameis Winston was the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the majority of his first five NFL seasons, but he may wind up being third on the depth chart in his next venture.
Winston has agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports first reported early Sunday morning. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Winston is taking less money to learn under Sean Payton and Drew Brees than he could have gotten from other teams.
The #Saints are expected to sign FA QB Jameis Winston to a 1-year deal, as @CharlesRobinson said, as the former No. 1 overall pick is taking a less lucrative contract to learn from coach Sean Payton & Drew Brees.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2020
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
While the terms of the deal are not yet known, the Saints had just over $3 million in salary cap space heading into Sunday. That leaves them very little for a backup quarterback, so Winston can’t be making much.
Winston was said to be looking at different backup options, and it makes sense that he wanted to sign with a team like the Saints if he there were no starting jobs available for him. Teddy Bridgewater served as a backup for New Orleans last season, and he impressed teams while filling in for an injured Brees for a significant portion of the season. Bridgewater parlayed that success into a three-year, $63 million deal with the Carolina Panthers.
The Saints seem to be committed to Taysom Hill as their QB of the future once Brees retires, but a lot can change in the NFL. Winston, who is only 26, is taking a good first step toward reviving his career.
