Captain Fear
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- Mar 20, 2019
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From the moment the Starting Quarterback Quarterback Carousel stopped spinning without Jameis Winston having a seat on a horse or one of those lame benches, one place made the most sense for him: New Orleans.
Now that the draft has come and gone without Winston finding a landing spot, it makes even more sense — and it apparently could be happening. (Seventh-rounder quarterback Tommy Stevens apparently will be groomed for a Taysom Hill-type role.)
Although the Saints have sent messages that Taysom Hill will be the backup to Drew Brees this year, the truth remains that Hill will need an offense designed specifically for him, if/when he’s going to play. That’s why it was Teddy Bridgewater and not Hill who replaced Drew Brees when he suffered a thumb injury last season.
And Bridgewater, after going 5-0 last season, has gotten his reward, in the form of the starting quarterback job in Carolina and a three-year, $66 million contract. Winston, who had 5,108 passing yards in 2019 with the Buccaneers and who made $45 million in five seasons with the Buccaneers, could do the same thing.
With Brees expected to retire after 2020, Winston could persuade the Saints to keep him instead of Hill as the starter in 2021. Or Winston could do enough to earn a shot elsewhere.
While this potentially prevents Hill from getting the job that otherwise seems to be coming his way after the coming season, it also allows him to focus on the role he has played for the Saints for another season, instead of also being ready to run to the base offense at a moment’s notice.
Regardless, it helps the Saints in giving them a backup who can run the primary offense (with the other 10 starters not having to adjust on the fly to a different offense), it helps Winston in giving a chance to get his career back on track, and it helps Hill in letting him continue to be who he has been, until the time comes for creating an offense just for him, in New Orleans or elsewhere.
Win. Win. Win. (Which makes even more sense, because the Superdome, is where Winston notoriously ate a W.)
And the end result is that the Saints likely will continue to eat Ws. Of course, that likely will happen even if Winston doesn’t become the backup to Drew Brees.