The New Orleans Saints signed their presumed starting quarterback for the foreseeable future in Derek Carr earlier this month. That certainly makes Jameis Winston’s decision on Monday a fairly surprising one.
Winston has been with the Saints for the last three seasons. He began this past season as the team’s starting quarterback, but injuries led to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton taking his job.
Despite Carr likely leading the Saints next season, Winston will reportedly be sticking around as a backup for the Saints.
According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Winston is “finalizing a deal” to return to the Saints.
QB Jameis Winston just text me that he is “finalizing” a deal to return to the #Saints.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 14, 2023
Numerous other sources confirmed this news, and his deal is reportedly up to $8 million for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
It's a 1-year deal for Jameis Winston worth up to $8M, source said. With no starting opportunities, Winston sticks with what's familiar. https://t.co/0fWhN2QPJb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2023
Winston is just 29 years old, so many would think that Winston may have wanted to go to another team with a more realistic chance to start.
The NFL world took notice of this surprising decision by Winston and offered their take on the move.
A bit surprising since Saints moved on to Carr. But Jameis Winston is an overqualified backup if ever needed and has always been valued in the locker room as a teammate and leader.
Throw in the salary-cap incentive for paying real money (discounted) to him instead of dead money. https://t.co/EAZUArDcTA
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) March 14, 2023
Jameis back is good. He’s an elite backup
— Ralph Malbrough 🥃 (@SaintsForecast) March 14, 2023
Jameis just can’t leave the New Orleans seafood 😂 https://t.co/nhridH2QkQ
— BetOnline (@BetOnline_ag) March 14, 2023
I’m blown away by this 🤯
I thought Jameis would chase legit opportunity to start.
I thought #Saints would avoid distraction of Winston saying something like, “I want to start.”
Also, every Carr INT, a huge swath of fans will chant for Jameis 😬https://t.co/UqYcUnbNSC
— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) March 14, 2023
Certainly was not expecting this. https://t.co/zrDDuj3gSl
— Sean FazendeFOX8 (@SeanFazendeFOX8) March 14, 2023
While the days of Winston being a long-term starter in the NFL are likely done, he likely could have found other opportunities to potentially start for a quarterback-needy team.
Suppose a team like the Indianapolis Colts plans to draft a developmental quarterback like Anthony Richardson in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. In that case, Winston certainly could have been a great bridge quarterback for a player like Richardson to sit behind for a year.
Regardless, this seems like a great signing from the Saints’ point of view. As a backup, Winston is a player that can be relied upon to lead an offense, and he is already very familiar with this system.
