Saints' Jameis Winston 'Hungrier' to Lead Team After Backing Up Drew Brees Last Year

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston said Tuesday he's eager to compete with Taysom Hill for the team's starting job following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

"One year not playing has just made me even hungrier to get back at the [helm] and lead a team," Winston told reporters. "My about-to-be seven years in this league has been a blessing, because I worked my whole life to have the opportunity to be a starting quarterback in this league."

Winston signed a one-year contract with the Saints last April. It was assumed he'd serve as the chief reserve behind Brees, but when New Orleans' longtime starter suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung in November that landed him on injured reserve for a month, the offense was handed to Hill instead.

The multifaceted playmaker handled the audition well. He completed 71.9 percent of his throws for 834 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions across four starts. He added 209 rushing yards and four scores on the ground while the Saints posted a 3-1 record.

Although the front office had an opportunity to hand the offense to Hill on a full-time basis without competition, it re-signed Winston in March to create a head-to-head battle for training camp and the preseason.

Winston's last chance to start came in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns but also threw 30 interceptions as part of an up-and-down campaign.

Now the 27-year-old Florida State product will have an opportunity to earn the starting role within a talented Saints offense. He explained Tuesday the goal of the competition with Hill is to "be our best selves."

"That is what I respect about Taysom, because he's a man who can do so many great things for this team, and he has done so many great things for this organization since he's been here," Winston said. "So just trying to find ways to serve him and work with him is going to make both of us better in terms of leading our teammates and working with them as well."

Hill added: "I think there's obviously a lot of conversation here about this competition and everything else—but I'm super supportive of him, and I've felt nothing but support from him as well."

It's a hard race to handicap because the New Orleans offense would probably be its most dangerous with Winston as the starter and Hill staying in his usual do-it-all role with some quarterback snaps mixed in, but Hill has maintained throughout his career he sees himself as a franchise signal-caller.

Saints head coach Sean Payton noted he'll let the situation play out then craft the final offense from there.

"We'll build it a little bit around that player accordingly. That's something that we did when Drew first arrived here and that we would do with either of these two players," Payton told reporters Tuesday.

Given the Saints' status as a perennial title contender when Brees was leading the offense, either Winston or Hill will have some massive shoes to fill once the 2021 season kicks off in September.