Jameis Winston goes viral for practice speech

Dec 25, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) before their game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints showed that they believe Jameis Winston can be an effective NFL starting quarterback when they signed him to a new two-year deal, and the veteran is trying to prove them right.

Winston has clearly made an effort to take on a leadership role this offseason. Some Saints players held an unofficial training camp this week, and Winston went viral for a great speech he gave after one of the sessions. He sounded more like a coach than a 28-year-old quarterback. Here’s a portion:

Jameis Winston is taking on more leadership this year, down to keeping everyone on schedule. Cool to see. (Via ⁦@RealSuperNola)⁩ pic.twitter.com/wJ53jcWCpU

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) July 16, 2022

Winston spoke to his teammates about the importance of taking care of their bodies. The speech ended with everyone huddled up and shouting “family!” on three. You can see the full speech below:

One of the reasons the two-minute was so noteworthy is that Winston does not exactly have a reputation for giving great speeches to his teammates. In fact, he was ruthlessly mocked over one attempt to do just that (video here) when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers several years ago.

Winston is still working his way back to full strength after he suffered a torn ACL midway through last season. It is a good sign that he was able to practice with his teammates all week. He appears to be on track to start in Week 1.