Jameis Winston 'an Option for Us,' Saints' GM Mickey Loomis Says

The New Orleans Saints are considering bringing quarterback Jameis Winston back into the mix.

"Jameis is an option for us and we hope we’re an option for Jameis," general manager Mickey Loomis told reporters (h/t Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football) at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Thursday.

Winston joined the Saints in 2020 as a free agent after a five-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He backed up Drew Brees in his first year before taking over as QB1 after his predecessor's retirement.

Winston was the Saints' starting quarterback for the first seven games of the 2021 season and completed 59 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns (three interceptions) and 7.3 yards per attempt.

His season ended prematurely on Oct. 31 after he suffered a torn ACL as well as MCL damage during a horse-collar tackle from Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White.

The Saints are embarking on a new era after the retirement of head coach Sean Payton. Dennis Allen got the promotion from defensive coordinator to head coach for a team that went 9-8 last year and lost out on a playoff berth based on tiebreakers.

Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill and Ian Book all started for the Saints in 2021 after Winston's injury. Hill was the best of the bunch thanks largely to his playmaking abilities (i.e., 374 rushing yards, five touchdowns), although he threw more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four). No Saints quarterback completed more than 60 percent of his passes, either.

If Winston is good to go for the beginning of the season, then he's the best option of the four. The Saints can look toward free agency, the trade market or the draft for more considerations, but Winston was doing well before the injury. His 102.8 passer rating would have been seventh in the NFL if he played enough games to qualify.

The Saints also went 5-2 in games that Winston started, averaging 25.1 points per game. They averaged 18.8 PPG for the remainder of the season.

Winston helped the Saints offensively despite star wideout Michael Thomas' season-long absence due to an ankle injury. Two years prior, Thomas set an NFL record with 149 receptions.

We'll see where Winston and the Saints turn with free agency starting later this month. Teams can start negotiating with free agents on March 14, and they can ink them to contracts beginning March 16.