Quarterback Jameis Winston now has a chance to become Drew Brees ’successor with the New Orleans Saints.
Just a day after Brees announced his retirement, Winston and the Saints reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $ 12 million, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter .
Former No. 1 draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner spent his first five seasons as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing a one-year deal in New Orleans last summer to try to revive his career as a backup of the Saints.
Although Winston played in moderation, the Saints were impressed enough to compete with Taysom Hill again for this year’s starting job.
“Who Dat! #NOLA #DreamForever”, the former general selection of the No. 1 draft and winner of the Heisman Trophy he tweeted Monday evening.
Qui Dat! ⚜️⚜️⚜️ #NOLA #DreamForever
– Jameis Winston (@Jaboowins) March 16, 2021
Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Chicago Bears were serious Winston suitors in Monday’s free agency process before choosing the Saints.
The Saints will have to cut a little more salary cap before starting the new league year on Wednesday. They started the low season nearly $ 100 million above the limit, but had reduced that figure to about $ 10 million earlier this week.
Winston, who turned 27 in January, went from 28 to 42 as a starter in Tampa, completing 61.3% of his passes with 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions. He showed some dynamic highs and lows during that tenure, especially in 2019. That year, he led the league with 5,109 passing yards, but also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 yards. touchdown and 30 interceptions in the same season. .
Turnover has been Winston’s biggest hurdle, with a total of 111 in the league from 2015 to 2019.
When the Buccaneers chose to move on to Tom Brady, Winston decided to try to revive his career in New Orleans. He signed a one-year deal worth just $ 1.1 million more incentives because he said he wanted to get a “Harvard education in quarterback school” under the direction of Sean Payton and Brees.
Winston did not have much field experience in New Orleans, behind Brees and Hill. But he made his best play of the season when he completed a 56-yard touchdown pass in a trick play in the Saints ’playoff loss to his former team. Winston was 7-of-11 for 75 yards in the regular season, with no touchdowns or changes.
Payton made it clear after the season that the Saints wanted to re-sign Winston and let him compete with Hill for the initial job after Brees retired. Payton said Winston was “fantastic as a leader,” in addition to the talent in his arm.
Winston was suspended during the first three games of the 2018 season after an eight-month NFL investigation concluded he was involved in harmful conduct in March 2016 touching an Uber female driver “in an inappropriate manner and without your consent. ” An agreement was reached in an independent lawsuit.