With quarterback Jameis Winston still a free agent when the 2020 NFL Draft kicked off on Thursday, it became readily apparent that it was unlikely that the former No. 1 overall pick would have a starting quarterback gig out of the gate come September. With that in mind, he reportedly has inked a deal to join the New Orleans Saints, where he will compete with Taysom Hill to back up Drew Brees in what could be the final season in the career of the future Hall of Famer.
But Winston's decision to join Brees and head coach Sean Payton came with “more lucrative offers” on the table, per both Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. Just who offered those deals is unclear, but what is clear is that Winston values the experience that he believes he will receive.
If Winston is looking around the league for recent examples of starters who have taken a backseat just to jump back into a starting gig, he need look no further than Titans signal-caller Ryan Tannehill, who received a massive payday earlier this offseason.
Last season, Winston was the only player in the league to throw for more than 5,000 yards. Unfortunately for him, he also tossed a league-high 30 interceptions, which likely made many franchises reticent to hand him a starting gig, especially in a new system.
Whether the plan is for Winston or Hill to take over after Brees remains to be seen, but for now, Winston will attempt to develop behind an elite passing mind.
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