So this was unexpected. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that the New Orleans Saints have offered Jameis Winston a restructured contract to stay on the team for 2023. But they included a hard deadline of March 15 — the start of free agency and the new league year — for him to make a decision, or else he’ll be released.
Could Winston hang around as Derek Carr’s backup? Maybe, but he’s probably going to scope out the free agent market. If he sees the opportunity to compete for a starting job somewhere it wouldn’t make much sense for him to stay in New Orleans and hold a clipboard all season.
But it does make sense from the team’s perspective to make this offer. If the Saints cut Winston without using a post-June 1 designation, they’ll only save $4.4 million. If they do use that designation, they’ll have to keep his $15.6 million cap hit on the books until June 2, when they get $12.8 million in savings. That would be after free agency and after the draft when those resources would be put to the best use. Getting a midsummer windfall to sign your draft class is great, but it would be better to have that money in hand now so they can go sign veteran upgrades.
So redoing Winston’s deal to save money in the near future might make the most sense for New Orleans. But it might not be what’s best for Winston. He was benched due to injury last season and his relationship with team management frayed because of it. He could have a lot to gain by starting over fresh somewhere else. If the Saints are asking him to take a pay cut and reduce his base salary from $12.8 million to something in line with other backups, like Andy Dalton’s $3 million last year, he may choose to seek a better deal in another town.
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