Will Jameis Winston Be Released By The Saints?

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston was one of the more fascinating, head-scratching stories of the 2022 NFL season.

The former number one overall pick opened the season as the Saints’ QB1, suffered from back fractures, sat out Week 4 and Week 5, and then never returned as the starter though he was active as the backup to Andy Dalton. Week in and week out, head coach Dennis Allen stated that Dalton gave the team “the best chance to win,” despite leading the team to a losing record.

Winston won the Saints’ 2022 Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates which showed he was still loved in the locker room. The question remains - why did New Orleans never turn back to Winston as their starter? Will Winston stay with the Saints in 2023?

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Will Jameis Winston Be Released By The Saints?

Jameis Winston is under contract through this season and would become a free agent going into the 2024 season. However, New Orleans is faced with a tough salary cap situation and there is a realistic chance that Jameis becomes a cap casualty as the Saints look in a different direction for their 2023 starting quarterback.

If Winston is released after June 1st, the Saints would save $12.8M on the cap and would account for $2.8M in dead cap money. The Saints have been in clear pursuit of former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, but would likely need to agree to a deal with him prior to June 1st if they wanted to roll with him as their future quarterback.

It seems clear that Winston is on the way out of New Orleans, but never say never. There have been recent rumblings that he would be open to returning to the Saints despite being banished from playing a season ago.

At this point, New Orleans’ future at quarterback is unclear. There seem to be many options on the table with how they handle Winston - cutting him, trading him, or restructuring his contract and keeping him are all possibilities at this point.

Which Teams Could Sign Jameis Winston This Offseason?

If the Saints elect to move on from Winston, he is sure to have his suitors in the free agent market. He would likely be pursued as a backup, although with so many teams looking for a quarterback this offseason he could easily be brought in somewhere to compete for a starting job.

One interesting destination for Winston would be the place he was once selected as the franchise savior - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Winston started in Tampa for five seasons before being replaced by Tom Brady in 2020, when he signed with the Saints as a backup to Drew Brees. With Brady now retired, the only quarterback on the Bucs’ roster is former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. 

Winston could also opt to join his former coach Sean Payton in Denver as the backup to Russell Wilson. The Broncos currently have Brett Rypien under contract and would welcome the upgrade to Winston as QB2.

The future is unclear for the former Heisman winner, but Winston will have a role in the NFL in 2023 whether it is as a starting quarterback or a backup.

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