Sean Payton Jokes Bucs Purposely Lost Week 17 in 2014 to Draft Jameis Winston

Megan ArmstrongSenior Analyst IIMay 14, 2020

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton looks on during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

New Orleans Saints Sean Payton joined Jason La Canfora and Ken Weinman on Baltimore's 105.7 The Fan on Thursday, and he came prepared with a joke about his new backup quarterback:

105.7 The Fan @1057TheFan
Saints HC Sean Payton told @JasonLaCanfora & @KenWeinmanSport he's excited to work with Jameis Winston. Thinks he would "grade fairly well" in this draft class. Jokingly said, Tampa Bay forced Lovie Smith to lose to the Saints on purpose so the Bucs could draft him.

"We're excited to work with [Winston]," Payton said (h/t Luke Johnson of the Times-Picayune). "He's a young player. He's 26 years old I believe, and I know he's got great work ethic and I know he's competitive. So we'll see how that unfolds, but we're excited that he's joined our team and he's going to help be a part of what we're trying to accomplish."

Winston signed a one-year contract with the Saints during free agency in late April:

Tom Pelissero @TomPelissero
Jameis Winston’s one-year contract with the #Saints: $148,000 signing bonus $952,000 base salary $1.76M playtime incentives $1.8M playoff playtime incentives $40,000 Pro Bowl incentive Base $1.1M. Max $4.7M with incentives.

The Buccaneers lost to New Orleans 23-20 in Week 17 to finish the 2014 campaign at 2-14, allowing them to select Winston No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL draft.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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