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Quarterback Jameis Winston now has the opportunity to become Drew Brees’ successor with the New Orleans Saints.
Just a day after Brees announced his retirement, Winston and the Saints reached an agreement on a one-year contract worth up to $ 12 million, a league source told Adam Schefter. from ESPN.
The former No.1 draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner spent his first five seasons as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing a one-year contract in New Orleans last summer to try. to relaunch his career as a replacement for the Saints.
Although Winston played sparingly, the Saints were impressed enough to bring him back to compete with Taysom Hill for the starting position this year.
‘Who Dat! #NOLA #DreamForever’, former No. 1 draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner tweeted Monday evening.
Who Dat! ⚜️⚜️⚜️ #NOLA #Reve forever
– Jameis Winston (@Jaboowins) March 16, 2021
Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Chicago Bears were strong contenders for Winston in Monday’s free agency process before he picked the Saints.
The Saints will need to carve out some more salary cap space before the league’s new year begins on Wednesday. They started the offseason nearly $ 100 million above the cap, but had reduced that figure to around $ 10 million by the start of this week.
Winston, who turned 27 in January, went 28-42 as a starter in Tampa, completing 61.3 percent of his passes with 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions. He’s had dynamic ups and downs during that tenure – particularly in 2019. That year he led the league with 5,109 passing yards, but also became the first quarterback in history. of the NFL to throw at least 30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in the same season. .
Turnovers were Winston’s biggest hurdle, with a league-high 111 total from 2015 to 2019.
When the Buccaneers chose to move on to Tom Brady, Winston decided to try and jumpstart his career in New Orleans. He signed a one-year contract worth only $ 1.1 million plus incentives because he said he wanted to get an “education at Harvard at a shift school” under the guidance of Sean Payton and Brees.
Winston didn’t have a lot of field experience in New Orleans behind Brees and Hill. But he made his best play of the season, hitting a 56-yard touchdown pass on a turn play in the Saints’ playoff loss to his former team. Winston finished 7 of 11 for 75 yards in the regular season with no touchdowns or turnovers.
Payton made it clear after the season that the Saints wanted to re-sign Winston and let him compete with Hill for the starting position after Brees retired. Payton said Winston was “fantastic as a leader” in addition to his arm skills.
Winston was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season after an eight-month NFL investigation found he engaged in harmful behavior in March 2016 by touching an Uber driver “inappropriately and sexual without his consent “. A settlement was reached in a separate lawsuit.
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