So much for Sean Payton’s cocky face. The coach of the New Orleans Saints did not try to disguise the team’s desire to rehire quarterback Jameis Winston if Drew Brees retired as expected.
Payton spoke enthusiastically about Winston for ESPN and other media while making a few appearances on Super Bowl week on Wednesday, saying the Saints would like to sign him again “sooner or later”.
Payton also specifically told CBS Sports’ Choose six podcasts who expects Brees to make an announcement “in the next two weeks”.
Payton has been saying for months that he thinks the next Saints defender is already “in the building” – a reference that includes Winston and Taysom Hill. And he reiterated Wednesday that Santos has a “very good vision” for both players.
It was notable that Payton mentioned Winston first and talked about him in greater detail when asked about Saints’ future plans for QB by Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin Show and NFL Network’s “Good morning football“show – saying it was an” easy “question.
However, Payton emphasized that the reason he mentioned Winston first was because he is a free agent and Hill is already under contract for another year.
“Jameis Winston, we know. We had a year with him. He was fantastic as a leader. He has tremendous talent for his arm. He is a young candidate that we really like,” said Payton in his appearance on ESPN. “When you have a player for a season, he kind of gives you a chance to see what he does, and there’s a bit of an audition there. But the same hearing happens for us. Hey, this is how they do it here. Does this fit me? Does this head coach, this position coach? Is this a place I feel comfortable playing at? ‘”
Payton said to “Good Morning Football”: “You often want to hold your cards closer to the vest [with a] free agent. But he and Taysom Hill, we said that all the time, we are going to develop and train these guys. And Jameis is one of those guys that we have a huge interest in. “
Winston, who just turned 27 in January, signed a one-year contract with Saints last spring for $ 1.1 million plus incentives because he wanted to learn specifically from Payton and Brees while trying to revive his career. He called it “a Harvard education at quarterback school”.
Winston did not have much experience in the field, as there was no preseason and Payton chose to start at Hill while Brees was sidelined for four games due to broken ribs and a punctured lung. However, Winston made his best move of the season when he completed a 56-yard touchdown pass in a maneuvering move in the New Orleans playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston had 7 of 11 to 75 yards in the regular season, with no touchdowns or turnovers.
Hill, 30, had 3-1 in those four games, with some highs and some lows. But Payton explained that part of the reason he chose Hill over Winston was because Hill was in his fourth year in New Orleans – and Payton had made a promise to Hill that he would have that opportunity when he resumed last year as a restricted free agent.
It looks like this year would be another open competition between Winston and Hill, assuming the Saints didn’t make any other big moves in the position.
Winston, of course, showed his own abundance of ups and downs during his first five seasons with the Buccaneers after being selected outside the state of Florida with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft. The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner led the NFL with 5,109 yards in 2019 in his first year under coach Bruce Arians. But he also became the first defender in league history to launch at least 30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in the same season – prompting Tampa Bay to pass to Tom Brady.
Winston had 28-42 in his five seasons as a starter with the Bucs, completing 61.3% of his passes with 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions. Turnover was his biggest problem, with a total of 111 in five years.