The New Orleans Saints aren’t finished adding depth to their quarterbacks room just yet. After trading back into the seventh round of this year’s draft to pick Mississippi State prospect Tommy Stevens, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports first reported that the team was finalizing a contract with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-overall draft pick Jameis Winston.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the news, as did NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but it’s important to recognize that the Saints have not signed Winston yet. Expect both sides to wait until after Monday’s 3 p.m. CT cutoff on veteran free agents factoring into the compensatory draft pick formula — signing Winston before it would possibly negate one of the extra picks the Saints are projected to get after losing Teddy Bridgewater and A.J. Klein in free agency. So this might just be a verbal agreement with Winston that won’t come into effect until after that deadline.
Schefter adds that Winston’s presence as more of a pocket-style passer would allow Taysom Hill to continue doing his thing as a runner, receiver, and blocker, giving the Saints an experienced backup to rely on in case Drew Brees misses time again. It’s a similar approach to what the team took with Teddy Bridgewater last year, who started five games when Brees went out with an injured throwing hand.
It’ll take some serious growth on Winston’s part both as a player (he was ousted from Tampa Bay after throwing a career-worst 30 interceptions, leading to Tom Brady signing with the Buccaneers) and a person, due to his history of off-the-field buffoonery and legal issues. So to be clear: the Saints signing Winston would not do anything to jeopardize Hill’s place as the heir-apparent, though he might offer long-term competition for Hill should he impress the Saints in a year’s worth of practice.
So stay tuned for updates. Winston has not signed a deal with the Saints yet, but it appears like he’s preparing to.
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