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.
Numerous other sources confirmed this news, and his deal is reportedly up to $8 million for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
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.
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
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.