Jameis Winston is preparing to accept a job where he’ll have no chance of starting.
Winston is finalizing a one-year contract with the Saints, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.
In New Orleans, Winston would compete with Taysom Hill to back up Drew Brees. Last year’s backup, Teddy Bridgewater, has moved on to Carolina, and Winston would have a good chance of earning the No. 2 job, which the Saints seem hesitant to hand to Hill because of his role as a runner, receiver and special teams player.
The Saints don’t have much cap space available, so Winston is presumably not going to be making much money this season. But Winston may see New Orleans as a place where he can learn from Sean Payton and a good offensive coaching staff, and position himself to get a big contract next year — just as Bridgewater parlayed his time in New Orleans into a big contract this year.
A former No. 1 overall pick who was once viewed as the Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback of the future, Winston led the NFL in interceptions last season and will now try to learn the finer points of the quarterback position while backing up a future Hall of Famer.