Saints QB Jameis Winston Reveals He Was Sleeping on His Parents' Couch amid Rehab

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston seemingly hit a low point after tearing his ACL in October.

"The first few weeks, I was sleeping on my parents' couch—no hotel, I’m sleeping on their couch," Winston told Albert Breer of MMQB.

The 28-year-old missed the final 10 games of the 2021 season while rehabbing from the knee injury. He acknowledged his situation in November served as a wake-up call to work his way back to the field.

"It got to the point where I was like, I got to get off this couch! Like, there's no way I can stay on this couch," Winston added. "Going to rehab, coming back, sitting on the couch, icing and then going to sleep on the couch, it was like, No, I didn’t live my life to live on my parents' couch."

Winston was a free agent this offseason, but he landed a two-year, $28 million deal in March to return to New Orleans.

"I kind of like that back-against-the-wall mentality," Winston said. "It's being in the dungeon by yourself and just coming out of it when you're ready—when you're ready to declare to this world that you've been doing the work in silence."

The 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick played well when on the field last season, totaling 1,170 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His 102.8 passer rating would have ranked seventh in the NFL with enough attempts to qualify, ahead of top players like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.

Efficiency was a major problem for Winston during his previous stint as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. He led the league with 5,109 passing yards while throwing 33 touchdowns, but his 30 interceptions were also a league high.

After sitting behind Drew Brees in 2020, Winston had seemingly turned the corner as a passer with improved decision-making in 2021, but the injury stopped his progress.

The quarterback is hoping his hard work in rehab will pay off as he gets another chance to prove himself in 2022.