The New Orleans Saints confirm they have signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a one-year deal.
Jameis Winston is officially a Saint.
The former No. 1 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft officially became a member of the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Winston became a free agent after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to let him go as his rookie contract expired this offseason.
“The #Saints officially announced that QB Jameis Winston has a 1-year deal,” Rapoport tweeted. “Drew Brees has a new backup, and Winston hopes to kickstart his career a la Teddy Bridgewater.”
Last season, Bridgewater filled in for five starts when Brees was out due to injury. In those five starts, Bridgewater was undefeated. Ultimately, his play led to a three-year, $63 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, where he is slated to be their starting quarterback for the 2020 season.
Winston is coming off a season where he threw for a league-best 5,109 yards with 33 touchdowns and a league-high 30 interceptions. His aggressive tendencies will more than likely be favored in a Sean Payton offense if he’s needed to fill in. If Winston does see action, cutting down on turnovers will be key in his development. Winston leads the league in turnovers since 2015 with 111.
The former Heisman winner has shown promise in this league. With multiple coaching staffs during his tenure in Tampa Bay, Winston now joins an organization with stability. While this opportunity is not for a starting job like Winston had hoped, with this strange offseason, it is probably for the best. Coming in to compete for a starting job on a new team, with a short offseason program, is not ideal.
For Payton, he not only lands the NFL’s best backup quarterback but a quarterback who just played for a division rival. While the Buccaneers may add some new wrinkles with Tom Brady at quarterback, it will be interesting to see if Winston can provide insight on a Bruce Arians-led team the Saints will face at least two times next season and who may pose as their biggest threats in the NFC South.