SmashMouth

The Saints have quarterback Taysom Hill under contract, with a deal that pays out a very real $12 million and change for 2021 and a very fake $140 million for 2022 through 2025. As of noon ET, quarterback Jameis Winston officially can negotiate with other teams.

The Saints would like to keep Winston. And the Saints want to see if Winston can become the starter.

“Jameis Winston, we had a good year to work with, and he’s someone — I said it on record already — we’d like to sign back,” coach Sean Payton told former NFL kicker often Andersen last month in an episode of the Great Dane Nation Podcast. “I’d like to see him competing to be that guy.”

That meshes with things Payton previously has said about Winston. Payton views Winston as a competitor for the quarterback job.

The contract that the Saints eventually give to Winston, if he accepts it, will shed some light on how he’s regarded. If he makes significantly less than Hill, then the message could be that it’s Hill’s job to lose.

SmashMouth

K Major

I've been wrong before but I truly believe the plan is to move forward with Jameis in 2021.

I'll be curious to see what (if any) improvements JW has made in the one year of sitting behind Brees. It will take time to develop chemistry with Thomas/Callaway/3quan/Trautman but he has the tools & pedigree.

Good luck & to be continued ...

Budsdrinker

Have to agree on a contract with Winston first. If they do, I'm looking forward to an open QB competition in camp.

AsylumGuido

If anyone else out there has any confidence that Winston could be a starter for them then the Saints will be unable to match any reasonable deal.

dizzle88

I'd like to see the Saints actually develop a QB from the draft.

Payton is a great coach but he really lucked out with Brees, I'd be interested to see what he could do with a rookie at the helm.

SmashMouth

We seem to forget he had eye surgery right before coming to the Saints. This begs to question why it wasn't discovered or dealt with before with the Bucs. Was that a factor in his turnovers problem? The general consensus amongst other NFC South teams, maybe even the entire league, is that they are hoping the Saints are getting the Jameis that had more turnovers than TDs in his short stint in the NFL heretofore. Is he smart enough like a Drew Brees to look off DBs and LBs? Did he learn enough in his short year under Brees and SP to become the QB we all hope he can be? Is he wiling to take a cap friendly contract for the opportunity with the Saints? Will other teams offer more $ than the Saints are willing to part with? My guess on the latter is likely not. Those potential teams haven't spent the last year evaluating him up close like the Saints. Are the coaches that left the Saints for other locales considering Jameis as a QB? Should the Saints draft a QB? Methinks a resounding yes! Which one? We have a thread already for what's fresh incoming meat. (The Deep QB Draft)

I always thought Jameis was a better talent than Scam Newton. And Scam is on his way out of the league, if not already. I still don't understand how Scam got an MVP and Brees didn't even sniff one even though he deserved it multiple times.

Tom Brady made Bruce Arians look good this year. That, and that vaunted press defense that all of sudden gets no flags. The real test of his coaching would have been keeping Jameis and see what a year two would've looked like. Historically under Bruce Arians, new to Bruce Arians QBs have had poor turnover ratios, only to rebound to respectable to above average. Jameis never got the chance for year two.

One thing for sure, if we do sign him and he does indeed grow into a top tier QB, can you imagine the Bucs fans reactions when Brady retires next year?

This will be a very interesting QB battle this year, no matter what. Remember, we were 8-1 the last two years sans an injured Drew Brees.

SmashMouth

AsylumGuido

We did it once before with Manning. Every 30 years we seem to luck upon a great QB. Who knows, Super Bowl LXXXVI may be ours!

Rugby Saint II

I'm pulling for the young guy but I've got my reservations. Smash said earlier that Winston has had eye surgery and a year with Drew and Sean working on his weaknesses and I hope it pays off. But in the back of my mind he's still the same guy we laughed at before for his decision making. I hope he proves me wrong.