Jameis Winston said all of the right things about Drew Brees, Sean Payton and the Saints organization in an interview he did following the 1-year deal he signed with the team this week.
He definitely took the high road, referencing “faith” and learning from Hall of Famers.
Winston should be pissed off. I mean, it’s got to be unprecedented for a 26-year old former Heisman winner who is also his franchise’s all-time leading passer and threw for a league-leading 5,109 yards with 33 TD passes last season to not only get released but sign with a team as a backup — and a backup who might be splitting his backup reps with Taysom Hill (who just signed a two-year, $21 million extension to be a gadget guy.)
Saints expected to sign QB Jameis Winston to one-year deal. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/4nNKaMWqY3
— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2020
This entire Winston situation just wreaks to me. There are plenty of people who harbor on the 30 picks he threw like that is an indication of his overall effectiveness as a QB.
The fact that he will only be making $1.1 million next season is egregious considering the bootylicious quarterbacks that will be making more.
If Ryan Tannehill is $29 million a year better than Winston than I’m a Russian guy from Mississippi with a Korean wife who runs a chicken and waffles spot in Alaska.
Nathan Peterman makes more money than Jameis for Christ’s sake. He’s God awful.
Here is Nathan Peterman throwing his fifth(!) interception of the day. All in the first half. #Billspic.twitter.com/OLWjQBLZYR
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeague) November 19, 2017
I don’t know when the entire football community turned on this guy. I hate to always accuse the NFL of systemic racism towards Black quarterbacks, so I’ll let respected journalist @ChuckModi1 say it.
BLACKBALLING?
Winson has already proved that he’s a big-time baller. He has a Pro Bowl under his belt and just one season in the Bruce Arians system. The boy can flat out ball. You can’t tell me that if he was a white quarterback with his credentials he would be subjected to this embarrassing fate.
Bruce Arians has always been called a Quarterback Guru/Whisperer. Arguably the best. Jameis Winston saying being w/ the Saints “it’s like going to Harvard”….you can’t convince me that’s not a shot back at all the bullets Arians shot at him after he left the Buccaneers
— KiCwDaHc (@ForQuickNews) April 29, 2020
That was really Winston’s only parting shot at a team that drafted him with the No.1 overall picking 2015, watched him blossom into a Pro Bowler on a flawed team, and then pulled the rug out from under him after one inconsistent season.
There aren’t many quarterbacks on Jameis’ level when it comes to playing the game of football. Is it possible that his past transgressions linger over his legacy like vultures on a dead body? Is there a narrative about his locker room presence that we were missing?
From all accounts, he’s a tremendous leader in the huddle and on the field.
The guy has dominated at every level. I guess I can understand Tampa Bay parting ways and wanting a fresh start. Even if the QB they brought in is 17 years older. Quality quarterbacks switch teams all the time.
But I can’t find 10 quarterbacks with more potential than Winston and I was surprised when Bill Belichick and Anthony Lynn and some other coaches in need of a Grade A gunslinger never looked Winston’s way.
This situation is really bothering me. I know he can ball and any coach with a shred of confidence or belief in his title as “offensive guru” or “quarterback whisperer” or “ genius” would be salivating at the opportunity to tailor an offense that would reduce interceptions and maximize Winston’s his many skills. Skills that most quarterbacks in the NFL don’t possess on their best day.
So what he had 30 picks last season.
Let’s be fair. It’s not farfetched to think that he could regroup, scale it back, and return as a better quarterback. He hasn’t scratched the surface of his full potential. And with all due respect, Bruce Arians has a terrible record with first-year quarterbacks and turnovers, which should definitely tell you something.
As a backup to Brees on the Saints, Winston may not play at all in 2019 and that would be a travesty in itself. I respect him for saying all of the right things, but the NFL definitely did him dirty
