Jameis Winston Rumors: Steelers 'Had Zero Interest' in QB Before Saints Contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have great backup options behind 38-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger  with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges on the roster. Neither played particularly well last season while Big Ben was out injured. 

One player who might have made sense for the Steelers was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Jameis Winston, who signed with the New Orleans Saints. 

But according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, "the Steelers had zero interest in Winston, I'm told. Which baffles me. I know their cap situation ain't great, but they didn't even explore it, although Winston was more than open to going there. In the end, New Orleans is a great spot for him."

Winston, 26, had a fascinating 2019 season. There was the good (5,109 passing yards, 33 touchdowns). There was also the bad (a whopping 30 interceptions, 60.7 completion percentage, 47 sacks). Once Tampa Bay was able to sign Brady, it was inevitable that Winston would be moving on in free agency.

Given his 88 career interceptions in 72 games, his next stop was going to be as a backup. In New Orleans, he'll sit behind Drew Brees and compete for the backup spot with Taysom Hill, who also serves as the team's quarterback occasionally in short-yardage packages and is utilized as a running back and tight end as well.

As for Pittsburgh, neither Rudolph or Hodges played well in 2019.

• Rudolph: 1,765 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 62.2 completion percentage. 
• Hodges: 1,063 passing yards, five touchdowns, eight interceptions, 62.5 completion percentage. 

Adding a more established backup for Roethlisberger—or using a draft pick on the position—would have made sense given those numbers. Roethlisberger isn't getting any younger and is coming off a season-ending elbow injury. Given those factors, he's an injury risk. 

Granted, the Steelers may have felt Winston's propensity for turnovers didn't make him much of an upgrade over either Rudolph or Hodges. Plus, there are other veteran options available in free agency, including Cam Newton (though it's likely he'll pursue a starting job somewhere), Joe Flacco and Blake Bortles, to name a few. 

So if the Steelers do choose to address the backup spot, they still have options. To this point, however, it hasn't appeared to be a major priority.