Jameis Winston to sign 2-year contract with Saints, per report

Jameis Winston will sign a free agent deal with the Saints, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The two years will come with a base value of $28 million, with $21 million guaranteed.

The former Florida State quarterback came into the NFL with a ton of hype as the first overall pick of the NFL Draft and has shown flashes of why throughout his career. But he’s struggled with turnovers and makes a head-scratching play from time to time, even as a seven-year vet.

2021 performance

Last season it seemed like Winston was finally turning a corner. After signing with New Orleans in 2020 to serve as the backup for Drew Brees, 2021 was finally his turn to get back on the field. He looked really good too. He tossed for nearly 2,000 yards 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions through the first seven weeks of the season. That low interception number was the most exciting part of his year since he’s been so turnover prone in the past.

But then the excitement came to a crashing halt in Week 7 when he tore his ACL, keeping him out for the rest of the year. It’s really a massive unknown if he’ll be able to keep up the production he was showing in 2021, or if it was just a fluke string of games. Either way, the Saints were willing to take that shot on the Heisman Trophy winner.