Jameis Winston: Drew Brees a Dream Mentor; Used to Teach Myself, Use Google

Megan ArmstrongSenior Analyst IIApril 29, 2020

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) shakes hands with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) after an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)

Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press

Jameis Winston is upgrading his lesson plan from Google to Drew Brees.

"Being a quarterback, you have to be a student of the game," the 26-year-old told reporters during his introductory conference call with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday. "So now, I actually get a chance to dive into that more, and I actually have a Hall of Fame quarterback that I'm learning from, as opposed to trying to learn by myself or use Google."

Winston also noted that Brees has actually long been a resource for him. The two met when Winston was 12 years old seeking an autograph from Brees, who had just arrived in New Orleans from San Diego in 2006, and then again before Winston was drafted No. 1 overall to Tampa Bay in 2015.

"There's only a few people in this league that actually follow up with you when you ask them a question, when you reach out to them," Winston said. "And ever since then, he's always been a guy that I can hit up during the season and ask a question, and he'll get back with me. So I just love the person that he is and the guy that he is, and I'm so excited to learn from him and help serve him in any way."

The Saints finalized a one-year deal with Winston on Tuesday:

New Orleans Saints @Saints
The #Saints have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with QB Jameis Winston! Story: https://t.co/ZWHx3u1PJz https://t.co/KhLXJrK2g1

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Field Yates @FieldYates
Jameis Winston’s one-year contract with the Saints carries a base value of $1.1M, per source. He got a $148,000 signing bonus, a base salary of $952,000 and $3.4M is available in incentives. Jameis prioritized the chance to learn and grow as a player.

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson first reported the pending move on Sunday, outlining the Saints' perspective:

Charles Robinson @CharlesRobinson
Sources tell Yahoo Sports the #Saints are finalizing a 1-year deal with free agent QB Jameis Winston. New Orleans hopes to continue maximizing Taysom Hill's versatility on gameday while mitigating some risk in exposing Drew Brees' backup to injury. Story: https://t.co/srblaQWfhI https://t.co/D2jNWL2446

Winston reportedly left a "much larger" offer on the table in order to go to New Orleans and learn behind Brees:

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
From NFL Now: The focus for free agent QB Jameis Winston was never the money this year, it was always about the next 10 years. The #Saints set him up for that. https://t.co/0b7FJG4cQa

Winston was not expected to land a starting job after the Buccaneers let him test unrestricted free agency and signed Tom Brady to a two-year deal as his replacement. The Florida State product logged one of the more peculiar seasons in recent memory by throwing for a league-most 5,109 yards and 30 interceptions alongside 33 touchdowns.

Winston will compete with Taysom Hill, who is uniquely utilized in the Saints' offense as a multi-purpose weapon, to become Brees' backup.