Jameis Winston had an opportunity to spend a season learning behind a Hall of Fame quarterback in 2020, and it clearly had an impact on him.
Winston, who recently re-signed with the New Orleans Saints on a one-year deal, was asked by a reporter on Tuesday about the exchange he had with Drew Brees following the team’s playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former Florida State star fought back tears while talking about what playing with Brees meant to him.
Here is Jameis Winston getting emotional while talking about sharing the field with Drew Brees after the final playoff game. pic.twitter.com/zAMErPKLG4
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 23, 2021
“For him to put his arm around me and give me any encouraging words after I saw the resilience, the passion, the way that he approached every single day — for that to even be a story, I was touched by that,” Winston said. “He doesn’t even know how much he means to me and my family, for real.”
Winston will likely compete with Taysom Hill for the Saints’ starting quarterback job this offseason. Brees may have already hinted that he expects Winston to win the job. With about a minute left in the Saints’ playoff loss to the Bucs, it looked like Brees told Winston “this is your team now.”
Drew Brees told James Winston "This is your team now" #Saints #DrewBrees #TomBrady #gobucs pic.twitter.com/CbRGGjbrY9
— Daily Sports Home (@dailysportshome) January 18, 2021
If that was the message Brees delivered, you can understand why speaking about the exchange elicited such a strong reaction from Winston.
Hill went 3-1 when filling in for Brees last season, but he is not a long-term solution. Some think Winston will thrive under coach Sean Payton.
Winston is clearly glad to be sticking around in New Orleans. The simple message he sent after re-signing was a good indicator of that.
