NFL

Sean Payton Says Saints Want To Re-Sign QB Jameis Winston ‘Sooner Than Later’

Feb 3, 2021, 2:15 PM

Taysom Hill - Jameis Winston - New Orleans Saints...

Quarterback Jameis Winston #2 of the New Orleans Saints shares a smile as he greets teammate quarterback Taysom Hill #7 during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton voiced that he’d like to re-sign upcoming free agent quarterback Jameis Winston “sooner than later.”

Payton discussed the Saints’ future at quarterback during a couple of media appearances amid Super Bowl week.

“Jameis Winston, we know. We had a year with him. He was fantastic as a leader. He’s got tremendous arm talent. He’s a young prospect that we like a lot,” Payton told ESPN. “When you have a player for a season, he’s kind of giving you a chance to see what he’s about, and there’s a little bit of an audition there. But the same audition takes place for us. He’s getting a chance to see, ‘Hey, this is how they do it here. Does this fit me? Does this head coach, this position coach? Is this a place I feel comfortable playing?'”

Drew Brees Retiring?

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, Saints starting quarterback Drew Brees played his last NFL game during the New Orleans’ NFC Divisional Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Payton told CBS Sports’ Pick Six Podcast that he expects Brees to make an announcement on if he is retiring “in the next week or two.”

Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill

The Saints’ other quarterback and Brees’ primary backup in 2020 was former BYU star Taysom Hill.

Hill played in 17 games for the Saints last season, including four starts at quarterback during the regular season.

As the starting quarterback, Hill led New Orleans to a 3-1 record.

He threw for 928 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 72.7 completion rate.

In addition to passing, Hill had 87 carries for 457 yards and eight touchdowns.

By comparison, Winston finished the year with 7/11 passing for 75 yards in four games.

Before joining the Saints, the former No. 1 overall pick was the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers, During his five seasons in Tampa Bay, Winston threw for 19,737 yards, 121 touchdowns, and 88 interceptions. Combined with fumbles, he had 111 total turnovers.

On Wednesday, February 3, Payton said the Saints have a “pretty good vision” for both Winston and Hill.

“A lot of times you want to hold your cards closer to the vest,” Payton told Good Morning Football. “Him along with Taysom Hill. We’ve said it all along. We’re gonna develop and coach those guys and Jameis is one of those guys that we have a big interest in.”

Prior to the 2020 season, Winston signed a $1.1 million, one-year deal with the Saints while the team re-signed Hill to a multi-year deal worth $21 million.

Kyle Ireland is a Locals in the NFL Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Yards After College Podcast. Follow him on Twitter (@kyleireland) and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).

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