The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons will meet in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, which means two familiar faces are set to clash. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota battled one another in the 2015 Rose Bowl and then went 1-2 in the draft that year. Through the pre-draft process and combine, they built a strong relationship and to this day, Mariota has always been a big fan of Winston.
“It’s such an interesting story, right? I got to know Jameis Winston during the combine,” Mariota said in his press conference. “We actually trained together out in Carlsbad in California, and I’ve always told him, ‘I’m one of your biggest fans,’ and I’ve always wished him well. Now, that we’re kind of going on these different paths and different journeys, that doesn’t change for me.
“So, I’m excited to see him, and I always wish him the best. Going through our different paths you always want to see someone like that be successful and given another opportunity.”
Jameis Winston is hoping for a big year. He missed a lot of 2021 due to an ACL tear but he's back at 100% and looking to replicate his production before the injury. The former Florida State standout threw for 1,170 yards and 14 touchdowns in seven games. This is the same guy who led the league in passing yards in 2019, but he also threw 30 interceptions.
Both of these signal-callers have the talent to be elite. It's just a matter of putting it all together. Mariota meanwhile gets his first chance in quite some time to be a QB1 after playing second-fiddle behind Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. With Matt Ryan now in Indianapolis, Mariota is the main man for the Falcons
No matter what happens, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are cheering each other on.
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