Jameis Winston Reportedly Signing As Backup With New Orleans Saints

Jameis Winston appears to have finally found a new home. A report this weekend says the quarterback is going to sign with the New Orleans Saints. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller is signing a one-year deal to back up one of the NFL’s greats, Drew Brees.

As The Inquisitr reported last month, it’s been thought for a while that if Winston wanted to be on a team next season, he would have to be a backup. There was some thought that he might try to sign with a team as a reserve and then battle to win a starting job. But that doesn’t appear to be the case with the Saints, though he will be able to be tutored by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Robinson believes the new deal will get done quickly now that the NFL draft is over. It’s also believed the Saints got Winston on a bit of a bargain deal. The team doesn’t have a great deal of room under the salary cap, but their backup quarterback is said to fit nicely into whatever room they do have.

Robinson also points out that Winston isn’t necessarily the number two for the Saints. Taysom Hill is thought to be the eventual heir apparent to Brees and it’s not likely that he’ll happily slide to the number three slot at quarterback for another season. Winston and Hill will reportedly duke it out for the honor of being right behind QB1. That also means there’s a chance Winston won’t be with the Saints when the season starts, should there be a roster crunch after fall camp.

Tommy Stephens from Mississippi State was also drafted by New Orleans in the seventh round, meaning there will be at least four quarterbacks in camp. Robinson thinks it’s clear that there was zero traction for Winston to find a starting job in 2020. Instead, he’ll try to find a way to show his new team that he — and not Hill — should be the successor at starter in 2021.

New Orleans will also be able to maximize Hill’s physical skills without worrying about him getting banged up, as they know they have someone on backup with extensive experience as a starting quarterback. The Saints are the only team that has a reserve quarterback who led the NFL in touchdown passes in 2019. Winston posted career and league highs in both passing yards (5,109) and touchdown passes (33). He also led the NFL in interceptions, with 30. Winston was released by Tampa Bay following the season.