Jameis Winston

Browns To Start Dorian Thompson-Robinson In Week 16

December 17th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jameis Winston‘s INT spree will produce a benching. The Browns are going with Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 16, Brad Stainbrook of the Orange and Brown Report notes.

Kevin Stefanski, who parked Winston during what became a six-turnover Browns performance against the Chiefs, will take another look at a second-year player over one that is on an expiring contract. Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot confirms Winston will take a seat after making seven starts this season. Indicating Winston will be DTR’s backup, Stefanski refused to commit to the younger passer beyond Week 16.

Despite this low start count, Winston is already tied for fourth in INTs (12). Only Kirk Cousins (16), Baker Mayfield (14) and Geno Smith (13) have more. All three have started every game for their respective teams this season. Winston has been unable to curb a turnover habit that defined his Buccaneers tenure, one that infamously ended with the QB throwing an astounding 30 interceptions in 2019. Winston threw three picks against Kansas City, a game that came two weeks after another three-INT game in Denver.

With the Browns now 3-11, they are fully in evaluation mode. Thompson-Robinson is under contract through the 2026 season, being chosen in the 2023 fifth round. Although the Browns have needed to make changes based on the UCLA product’s lack of readiness at multiple points during his first two seasons, it appears he will close the show for this year’s disappointing team.

Thompson-Robinson, who impressed the Browns to the point they traded would-be 2023 backup Josh Dobbs to the Cardinals just before last season, has made three starts. He has completed just 51.4% of his passes as a pro, adding three more interceptions — including one against the Chiefs — to his TD-INT ratio this season. That ratio sits at 1:7 right now. The Browns are expected to pursue another starter-caliber quarterback in 2025, albeit one who will compete with Deshaun Watson, but the team will see how Thompson-Robinson fares ahead of a high-stakes offseason.

Winston, 30, is playing out a one-year, $4MM deal. The Browns preferred him to 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco, not making the latter an offer. Winston has produced highs and lows, continuing an inconsistent career. He threw for a Browns-record 497 yards against the Broncos, giving Jerry Jeudy a revenge game for the ages. Winston tossed two pick-sixes in that matchup. That came after Winston had helped the Browns beat the Ravens in the first game after Watson’s Achilles tear; the former No. 1 overall pick followed it up with a three-pick showing in a one-sided loss to the Chargers.

The Browns cannot realistically drop Watson due to two fully guaranteed seasons remaining on his five-year, $230MM contract. They are also expected to complete a third restructure with the struggling QB, which will make it more difficult to cut him in 2026. The restructure will, however, allow a bit more breathing room as the Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski duo — widely expected to stay — conducts a search for a potential Watson replacement. At this point, it appears unlikely Winston will heavily factor into that pursuit.

Jameis Winston Wants To Stay In Cleveland

November 29th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Jameis Winston is set to hit free agency after this season, but if it was up to him, he’d stay in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.

“Of course,” said Winston when asked if he wanted to re-sign with the Browns, per the Morning Journal’s Jeff Schudel, explaining that he and his family had found a home in Cleveland.

“I’ve truly embraced this city. I love the hard nose, I love the beautiful trees three months out the year,” said Winston. “I’m grateful for the fans challenging me. I’m grateful for the fans lifting me up. I’m grateful for you all challenging me and lifting me up.”

Winston signed a fully-guaranteed one-year, $4MM with the Browns this past offseason to serve as Deshaun Watson‘s backup, though he had to fend off competition from Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Cleveland is 2-2 in Winston’s four starts after starting the season 1-6, with the veteran quarterback injecting some life into their previously-anemic passing game.

Winston’s performance has also earned him the support of his teammates, including Nick Chubb and Jerry Jeudy.

“He has a huge impact,” said Chubb. “He loves football. That rubs off on all of us — the energy and passion he brings every day — and we appreciate that.”

Jeudy went a step further, saying that Winston is the “type of guy you just need around,” per Schudel.

The Browns will have to navigate Watson’s recovery from his season-ending Achilles tear as well as his fully-guaranteed contract this offseason. If Cleveland moves on from Watson – or if he’s not projected to be healthy when the 2025 season starts – they may search for common ground with Winston to retain the veteran quarterback for next year. However, his performance will allow him to demand more money this offseason, especially if he draws interest from other teams searching for a starting quarterback.

Browns Name Jameis Winston Starting Quarterback For Remainder Of Season

November 3rd, 2024 at 12:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 3: The Browns have named Winston the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Cabot does allow for the possibility that Thompson-Robinson could get some starts if the Browns are eliminated from playoff contention, but after his strong showing against the Ravens in Week 8 — albeit against a leaky secondary missing two starters — the job is now Winston’s to lose.

OCTOBER 23: The Browns are making another switch on their quarterback depth chart. Days after it was reported Cleveland was demoting Jameis Winston, the offseason pickup will move into the starting role.

Winston is expected to take over for an injured Deshaun Watson in Week 8, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Prioritized over Joe Flacco to be Watson’s backup, Winston was unexpectedly dropped to the emergency QB3 role as Dorian Thompson-Robinson made another leap. That was believed to be a game plan-specific adjustment, per Schultz, rather than a move that indicated Winston would continue as a third-stringer.

It is nevertheless interesting Winston was viewed as a third-stringer for any game, but Thompson-Robinson had made a similar climb last year. DTR’s progress during training camp prompted the Browns to trade Joshua Dobbs to the Cardinals last summer. The Browns have not seen much from Thompson-Robinson in games, and with the second-year passer now battling an injury, Winston represented the obvious choice to take over in Cleveland’s latest emergency circumstance.

Winston, 30, signed with the Browns on a one-year, $4MM deal. Those terms match what the Colts gave Joe Flacco, with the 39-year-old veteran confirming the Browns never made him an offer to stay. The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year had wanted to stay, expressing fondness for his Cleveland setup on several occasions. Winston, however, joined Jacoby Brissett as the Browns’ preferred options. Not wanting to go where the Patriots did for Watson’s 2022 fill-in (one year, $8MM), the Browns brought in Winston, who still counts as dead money on the Saints’ 2024 and ’25 payrolls.

Watson is believed to have backed a Winston signing, helping to explain Cleveland’s preference compared to a second Flacco contract. The former No. 1 overall pick has made 80 career starts. The runway is clear for the former Buccaneers and Saints starter to run that count to 90, barring injury. Though, the Browns — given how their season has unraveled thanks largely to Watson’s struggles — may want to give Thompson-Robinson more burn to gauge his development at some point. For now, it will be Winston, who has not been a regular starter since a 2022 injury led to his New Orleans demotion.

While Winston is best known for his high-variance 2019 season — which featured 33 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions and 5,109 yards — he played well in Sean Payton’s Saints finale before going down with an ACL tear. The Saints re-signed Winston to a two-year, $28MM deal in 2022 but ended up benching him for Andy Dalton. New Orleans’ Derek Carr deal keyed a Winston pay cut, and the NFC South club dropped its backup via a post-June 1 release this offseason.

A finger injury led Thompson-Robinson out of the Browns’ Week 7 Bengals matchup. While surgery was in play, that will not end up being necessary, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The team has since signed Bailey Zappe off the Chiefs’ practice squad. If Thompson-Robinson misses time, Cleveland’s Week 8 QB depth chart will feature Zappe backing up Winston.

Browns Promote Dorian Thompson-Robinson To QB2, Demote Jameis Winston

October 20th, 2024 at 12:22pm CST by Rory Parks

There is interesting quarterback news to report in Cleveland today, though it is likely not the news Browns fans were hoping to receive. While struggling QB1 Deshaun Watson is still operating as the starter, the Browns have demoted Jameis Winston to the emergency third-string passer for today’s game against the Bengals. Second-year pro Dorian Thompson-Robinson will serve as Watson’s backup.

Cleveland signed both Winston and Tyler Huntley this offseason, eschewing the chance to re-sign Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco after Flacco’s surprising success down the stretch of the 2023 season. That decision has been heavily scrutinized in light of Flacco’s strong play with the Colts in relief of Anthony Richardson in 2024 and Watson’s continued struggles (Huntley was released as part of final cutdowns in August).

Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns considered Thompson-Robinson and Watson as untouchable in trades this offseason, though the club would have been willing to deal Winston then and would still be willing to move him prior to the November 5 deadline, especially now that he has been demoted. Cabot says that if Watson is ultimately stripped of his starting duties – a move that HC Kevin Stefanski has thus far resisted while insisting that ownership has not ordered him to keep Watson in the lineup – Thompson-Robinson, not Winston, would be the player to replace him.

Cleveland is said to be quite high on DTR, a fifth-round selection in 2023 who enjoyed an impressive preseason this summer. Prior to Flacco’s run as a starter last season, Thompson-Robinson started three games as a rookie and generally performed like a raw Day 3 pick in his first professional campaign: he posted a 1-2 record and completed 60 of 112 passes (53.6%) for 440 yards and one touchdown against four interceptions.

Still, the Browns are bullish on his upside, and should Stefanski decide to pull the plug on Watson, the club will want to know what it has in DTR so it can plan accordingly for the future. Cabot notes that the team has wanted to see what Watson could do with a healthy O-Line, a healthy David Njoku, and a healthy Nick Chubb, With today’s game against Cincinnati marking Chubb’s first action since a brutal knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season, Watson is as well-equipped as he can be at this point (the team’s recent trade of Amari Cooper aside).

As such, Cabot says the club will be monitoring Watson’s performance closely. If he does not exhibit noticeable improvement in short order, Cabot believes the 1-5 outfit will hand the reins to Thompson-Robinson.

Tony Grossi of TheLandOnDemand.com is a bit more skeptical, as he suggests that Watson – despite ranking 28th in the league with a 76.6 quarterback rating – still has something of a long leash. Grossi confirms, however, that Winston is not hurt, thereby confirming that the DTR promotion is merit-based.

Browns Pondering Trade Involving Jameis Winston Or Tyler Huntley?

August 28th, 2024 at 10:57am CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 28: The Browns are expected to make a quarterback move today, according to veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, but it will not involve Winston. Cleveland kept four QBs on its active roster Tuesday. With waiver claims set to come in and other roster moves likely on tap as well, the Browns cutting into their overstocked passer depth chart seems imminent. Schultz pushes back on the notion the Browns discussed moving their recently signed backup, and it appears the 10th-year vet is firmly set in Cleveland.

AUGUST 27: The lowest-profile member of the Browns’ collection of reserve quarterbacks, Dorian Thompson-Robinson has received word he made the team. This will create an interesting roster situation in Cleveland.

Adding both Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley this offseason, the Browns now need to move on from at least one of them by 3pm CT today. They are planning to take calls on Winston and Huntley, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, with a trade potentially in the cards. Both passers are pending free agents.

Winston spent the past four seasons in New Orleans, primarily operating as a backup. The Saints provided him with a secure environment after his Buccaneers tenure (capped off by his 30-30 2019 campaign) came to an end. The former No. 1 pick has stated his desire to once again serve as a starter in the NFL, but his decision to take a one-year Browns pact set him up for QB2 duties behind Deshaun Watson. That chances of that being the case given Thompson-Robinson’s inclusion on the 53-man roster are low.

Winston’s deal includes $4MM in guarantees, but a trade or release would only incur a dead money charge of $558K due to the inclusion of void years. The 30-year-old could be an attractive backup option to a number of suitors, although the NFLPA’s decision to veto a rule change which would have allowed teams an unlimited number of emergency QB practice squad elevations could lead many to only carry two signal-callers. Still, Winston is a veteran of 93 games and 80 starts, so he could add considerable experience to an acquiring team.

Huntley, 26, entered the NFL as a Ravens UDFA, and each of his 21 combined regular and postseason appearances have come with Baltimore. Operating as Lamar Jackson‘s backup, he compiled a 64.6% completion percentage and 79 passer rating, adding 4.4 rushing yards per carry and three touchdowns on the ground. Huntley’s 8:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio illustrates his limitations a passer, however.

Huntley’s pact would only lead to $470K in dead money charges in the event he were to be traded or released, so finances will not play a major role in how the Browns proceed at the quarterback spot. It will be interesting to see how much of a trade market emerges for Winston and/or Huntley given the fact at least one of them will be let go by the afternoon if no agreement for a swap can be worked out.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Saints Release WR Michael Thomas

March 13th, 2024 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 13: The Saints will follow through with this reported plan. Thomas is no longer on the team’s roster as of the start of the 2024 league year, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Thomas’ dead money hit will drop from $12.4MM to $11.2MM, NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett notes. This separation will still be expensive for the Saints, who will take on a $9.2MM hit in 2025. The Saints also cut Thomas with a failed physical designation.

Rather than Maye, the Saints are using their second post-June 1 designation on Jameis Winston. Due to another uniquely structured contract, Winston’s cap charge will drop from $4.6MM to $3.4MM on June 2, Tripplett adds. The Saints will take on $7.3MM in dead cap on the Winston deal in 2025.

MARCH 7: Michael Thomas‘ four-year run of success in the 2010s kept providing chances as his career skidded off track in the 2020s. It appears the injury-prone wide receiver will finally separate from the Saints.

New Orleans is expected to release Thomas when the new league year begins March 13, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes. Although Thomas participated more in games last season than he had since 2019, the former All-Pro’s run of injuries always made it likely he would not be back for the ’24 campaign.

Thomas, who turned 31 last week, missed the Saints’ final seven games due to a knee injury. This ran the former All-Pro’s missed-games count to a whopping 48 since 2020. Various injuries are responsible for this, and the most recent one paused a season in which Thomas had accumulated 39 receptions for 448 yards in 10 games. The yardage total doubles as his most since he notched an NFL-leading 1,725 during the 2019 season, which featured a still-standing NFL record of 149 catches.

That season came on the heels of the Saints giving the former second-round pick a five-year, $96.25MM extension. Thomas had run off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons in 2018 and ’19, helping Drew Brees remain one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks into his early 40s. But the ankle, foot and knee trouble that has thrown the Ohio State alum’s career off course in the 2020s will almost definitely lead him out of town.

This being the Saints, a complex contract structure is in place. The parties, after multiple adjustments last year, agreed to give it another try on what amounted to a $10MM payment. Thomas’ latest contract was designed to be extended or shed from the Saints’ payroll, as ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes; the latter course will bring about a $11.2MM in dead money via a post-June 1 designation. It appears the Saints will use both their allotted post-June 1 moves this year, with Marcus Maye also set to be cut on March 13.

Thomas was also arrested on a simple battery charge last year, and Duncan adds the talented wideout gained a reputation as a difficult personality inside the Saints’ facility. While this clearly did not dissuade the Dennis Allen-led team from signing off on another reunion last year, as Thomas said he was only interested in playing for the Saints again, the parties will go their separate ways soon.

Although the Broncos are the current landing spot for ex-Saints, it will be interesting to see if Sean Payton would take a chance here. Thomas rankled the Saints by not going through with an ankle surgery early during the 2021 offseason, leading to a mid-offseason operation that delayed his return in what became Payton’s final year with the team. A setback then led to Thomas missing all of the 2021 season, leaving the Saints with a bottom-tier receiving corps. While the Broncos have some issues to sort out at receiver, Thomas would not seem a lock to reunite with Payton once the Saints officially move on. But adding a former All-Pro at a low rate could appeal to a team regrouping after what will become the most expensive release in NFL history.

Browns, Jameis Winston Finalizing Deal

March 12th, 2024 at 10:06am CST by Sam Robinson

The Jameis Winston sweepstakes appears to have come to an end. Connected to a number of teams as a backup quarterback addition, the former No. 1 pick is finalizing a deal with the Browns, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. The one-year agreement will have a maximum value of $8.7MM, he adds.

Winston as a Cleveland option came up Monday night, and the former No. 1 overall pick will indeed have another opportunity as a backup. The Browns have made some major changes to their coaching staff this offseason, firing OC Alex Van Pelt and QBs coach T.C. McCartney. Ken Dorsey will step in as Kevin Stefanski‘s top lieutenant, and Joe Flacco will be headed elsewhere if he wants to continue his career.

Not only have the Browns passed on re-signing the reigning Comeback Player of the Year, but the team was not closely linked to a reunion with Deshaun Watson‘s 2022 backup — Jacoby Brissett, who rejoined Van Pelt with the Patriots. The Browns preferred a younger option compared to Flacco, and cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes Watson is a Winston backer. That undoubtedly will help influence this agreement.

Brissett was, in fact, on the Browns’ radar, but Cabot adds the team did not want to authorize an $8MM payment like the Pats did. Flacco had resided as the team’s Brissett backup plan, Cabot indicates. But Cleveland will go in another direction. Winston’s agreement will surely settle south of that point, with incentives likely comprising a notable part of the former Buccaneers and Saints passer’s pact.

Best known for his 30-30 season in Tampa, the 30-year-old QB is coming off a four-year tenure in New Orleans. After the Bucs brought in Tom Brady to replace him in 2020, Winston followed Teddy Bridgewater as Drew Brees‘ backup. Cap-strapped in 2021, the Saints turned to the ex-Heisman winner to succeed Brees. While Winston produced decent numbers despite a bottom-tier receiving corps that year, an ACL tear ended his season midway through.

The Saints brought Winston back on a two-year deal in 2022 but ended up renegotiating it ahead of the ’23 season after Andy Dalton usurped the high-variance passer. Winston still stayed on as Derek Carr‘s backup, making multiple cameos as the ex-Raider ran into injury trouble during a season that featured two concussions.

Watson joined Carr in sustaining multiple injuries in 2023, but the high-priced Browns passer could not stay on the field. Watson’s November shoulder surgery prompted Cleveland to sign Flacco, who displayed stunning form in helping a battered offense do enough to sneak into the playoffs. Flacco did not play well in the Browns’ wild-card game, but the 39-year-old passer expressed interest in staying. The Browns were believed to share that interest, but the sides are set to go their separate ways after a memorable stretch.

Browns, Titans, Giants Eyeing QB Jameis Winston

March 12th, 2024 at 9:18am CST by Ben Levine

MARCH 12: In addition to the Browns, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports the Titans and Giants have shown “preliminary interest” in Winston. Tennessee has Will Levis in place as the quarterback of the present and future, but adding an experienced option capable of starting or providing high-end insurance would be a logical move. Malik Willis holds the QB2 spot for now, but the Levis selection last spring has limited his ability to compete for a starting role in Nashville.

The Giants, meanwhile, saw Tyrod Taylor agree to a deal with the Jets yesterday. Linked to drafting a Daniel Jones successor this April, New York will at least need a veteran backup if Jones is unable to start the 2024 season on time as recovers from a torn ACL. Winston would fit the bill, and likely not at an especially high price tag.

MARCH 11: The Browns are hoping for a healthy season from Deshaun Watson in 2024, but that won’t stop the front office from pursuing a top-end backup. While the team navigates Joe Flacco‘s free agency, the Browns are eyeing another notable quarterback. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Browns are interested in Jameis Winston as a backup QB.

Winston has been in New Orleans since 2020, and despite several changes atop the depth chart, he’s continued to serve as a fill-in at quarterback. As a result, the former first-overall pick was reportedly seeking a starting gig as he weighs free agent offers this time around. The 30-year-old has not played a full season as a starter since 2019, the year of his infamous 33-touchdown, 30-interception campaign with the Buccaneers

Of course, finding a QB1 job would be easier said than done, as few teams would simply hand the reins to Winston. For what it’s worth, the veteran has looked good as a backup in New Orleans. The Saints have gone 6-4 in Winston’s 10 starts with the organization, and the QB has tossed 20 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions in his 21 games with New Orleans. He didn’t get a chance to start while serving as Derek Carr‘s back in 2023, with Winston completing only 25 of his 47 pass attempts while tossing two TDs and three interceptions.

The Browns lucked out with their backup plan in 2023. Flacco guided the Browns to a 4-1 record in his five starts, with the former Super Bowl winner finding the fountain of youth while tossing 13 touchdowns, his highest total since 2017. The veteran QB is reportedly looking to stick in Cleveland for the 2024 campaign, and the free agent confirmed that sentiment during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“I can tell you that, all things equal, Cleveland is definitely the place where I’d feel best about,” Flacco said (via Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com). “Now, then you have to get into the world of, is someone actually going to give me a chance to play? And all the different things that go into that.

“But I can’t help but have a special feeling about Cleveland, just because of the few weeks that I spent there and how great the city was. And, listen, at the end of the day, I don’t necessarily want that to be a huge part [or] all of the decision. But I do think it will factor into the decision — if I end up having a decision to make.”

Saints’ Jameis Winston Eyeing Starting Role

February 23rd, 2024 at 9:35am CST by Adam La Rose

Jameis Winston has been in New Orleans since 2020, and his desire to remain with the team has been made clear this offseason. A new Saints contract would tie him to a backup role, however, something which the veteran quarterback has become familiar with in recent years.

In spite of that, Winston still has his eyes on a No. 1 gig. New Orleans has Derek Carr on the books through 2026, although the team could move on after next season with relative ease. Carr will be in line for the starting role in 2024 at a minimum, so Winston’s intention of re-signing with the Saints will need to be weighed against his desire to lead an offense. He recently spoke about his situation with free agency not far away.

“My goal is to be, and my desire is to be, a Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback in this league,” the former No. 1 pick said in an interview with Kyle Mosley of Saints News Network. “Right now, that doesn’t look like a very clear picture with the New Orleans Saints.”

Winston is a pending free agent after he agreed to a one-year pact last offseason in a move which allowed him to stay in New Orleans. That contract has been restructured, leaving him on track to reach the open market while leaving the Saints with dead cap charges regardless of if he is re-signed or allowed to depart. While Winston’s remarks suggest he would interested in exploring outside opportunities, it would be a surprise if he managed to generate a notable market as a No. 1 option this spring.

The 30-year-old has not played a full season as a starter since 2019, the year of his infamous 33-touchdown, 30-interception campaign with the Buccaneers. Winston would join a host of other veteran signal-callers available as bridge options for teams in the QB market this offseason, many of which are likely to add at the position via the draft in April. New Orleans has Carr as well as 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener on the QB depth chart, and the latter could ascend to the backup role if Winston were to depart. It will be interesting to see how willing Winston is to test the market if a clearer path to a starting opportunity presents itself outside of New Orleans.

Jameis Winston Eyeing New Saints Deal

February 15th, 2024 at 9:50am CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints are set to have Derek Carr atop the quarterback depth chart for at least one more campaign, but retaining Jameis Winston as his backup remains an option for this offseason. If the latter has his way, the team will take that route.

Winston is set to reach free agency next month with the expiration of his current contract. He took a pay cut last offseason, working out a revised one-year deal to avoid being designated a post-June 1 release. That contract has since been altered significantly as part of New Orleans’ annual cap gymnastics, leaving Winston’s future in question. He recently confirmed his desire to remain with the team, though.

“I would love to stay in NOLA forever,” the former No. 1 pick said in an interview with WDSU’s Margaret Orr during a Mari Gras parade (video link). “But whatever the Lord has planned for me, I’m going to go and do my best, wherever that is. Hopefully it’s here, because I love this, I love the energy, and I love this city.”

In the wake of his revised contract, Winston publicly stated his intention of competing for another starting role in the future. Given Carr’s continued presence, Winston’s latest comments are notable since the 2024 season would involve another campaign spent as a backup. The former has his $30MM salary guaranteed in full for the coming year, but New Orleans could move on with minimal cap penalties next offseason.

Even in the event that were to take place, Winston’s prospects for assuming QB1 duties would be questionable. The 30-year-old’s last full campaign as a starter took place during the 2019 season, his final one with the Buccaneers. He served as the Saints’ starter in 2021 for seven weeks before a promising year was cut short due to an ACL tear. Since then, Andy Dalton and now Carr have leapfrogged him on the depth chart, while Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill has also seen occasional usage as a quarterback.

Winston would be one of several veteran passers on the open market if he were to see his Saints deal expire. New Orleans has a number of difficult financial decisions to make in the near future, but the backup QB spot would become a notable roster hole if the team moved on from him. Winston’s future with his current team, or a new one, will thus be worth monitoring in the build-up to the new league year.

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