Twitter

Mike Triplett

METAIRIE, La. – Jameis Winston makes as much sense for the New Orleans Saints now as he did two weeks ago.

And he still makes New Orleans a legitimate playoff contender in 2022.

Obviously the Saints can’t hide from the fact that they thought quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was instead treaded to the Cleveland Browns, would be a major upgrade, since they went overboard in their efforts to tie the franchise’s present, future and image to the polarizing quarterback last week. However, the Saints have always insisted they hold Winston in high regard.

And yes, both things can be true – which the Saints demonstrated by making a real commitment to Winston with a two-year, $28 million contract that includes $21 million guaranteed.

That’s not just a placeholder deal. Sure, the Saints might still wind up drafting a quarterback in the next year or two because they recognize how important that position is to their long-term future. But they don’t have to force a pick on quarterback since Winston is still just 28 years old and could potentially become a long-term solution himself.

More importantly, the Saints re-signed Winston because they are in win-now mode. They have repeatedly made it clear they don’t plan to rebuild under new coach Dennis Allen, despite their salary-cap limitations. They proved that by going after Watson. They proved it again Monday.

Although quarterbacks have been changing teams at a dizzying pace throughout the NFL in recent weeks, Winston arguably offers the best combination of upside and affordable price.

The former No. 1 overall draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner went 5-2 as New Orleans’ starter last season before tearing his ACL in Week 8. Had he not gotten hurt, the Saints would have had an excellent chance to make the playoffs – and re-signing Winston probably would have been a no-brainer.

Instead, they finished 9-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs on a wild final week of the season while setting an NFL record with 58 different starters used in a season because of injuries and COVID-19 issues.

Winston wasn’t perfect in his first year as New Orleans’ starter (he averaged just 186 passing yards in his six complete games and completed just 59% of his passes). But he proved he could overcome the turnovers that derailed his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by throwing 14 touchdown passes with just three interceptions. He flashed his big-play ability with four completions of 49-plus yards. His passer rating of 102.8 was a career high.

And he did all that with perhaps the NFL’s most anemic collection of pass catchers while All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas missed the entire season with an ankle injury.

Read the rest here ...

Twitter

After Jameis Winston agreed to a two-year deal with the Saints on Monday, there’s more positive news on the quarterback.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Winston is expected to be ready for training camp if his rehab continues to progress smoothly.

Winston tore his ACL during New Orleans’ Week Eight victory over the Buccaneers. In his first year as the Saints’ starting QB, he compiled a 5-2 record. Winston threw for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His 102.8 passer rating was easily a career-high.

Winston’s two-year contract is reportedly worth $28 million with $21 million guaranteed.

The No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft, Winston was 28-42 in five seasons as the Buccaneers quarterback. He threw for a league-high 30 interceptions while also leading the league with 5,109 passing yards in 2019.

Twitter

The New Orleans Saints brought back Jameis Winston, who can stabilize a Saints offense and immediately compete in a shallow NFC.

By Gregory Layfield Mar 22, 2022, 8:00am CDT

The New Orleans Saints have reportedly come to terms with Jameis Winston. Winston supposedly received a two-year contract worth $28 million from the Saints. The Saints were one of the teams that tried to trade for Deshaun Watson. After Watson chose to go to the Cleveland Browns, the Saints likely turned their full attention to Winston. Fortunately for the Saints, Winston did not seem bothered by the Saints failed pursuit of Watson. Winston will immediately anchor a Saints offense that struggled much of the 2021 season after his knee injury.

Saints Still Focused on Winning

The Saints had yet to make any significant move this off-season. After the departure of Sean Payton, it was unknown the kind of direction the team would move in. Dennis Allen was promoted to head coach and most assistant coaches stayed in place. This signaled a similar approach to the upcoming season but there were still many unknowns. The Saints have been focused on winning now, instead of building towards a draft or future years, most of the past 15 seasons. After a slow off-season so far, the Saints could have looked to the draft for their future quarterback and taken a couple of years to rebuild. The re-signing of Winston, and other players this off-season, show that the Saints are not ready to become afterthoughts in the NFC.

Read the rest here ...