Jameis Winston Rumors: QB 'Intrigued' by Free Agency Despite Saints' Interest

Even though Jameis Winston fell behind Taysom Hill in the pecking order last season, the free-agent quarterback is reportedly considering a return to the New Orleans Saints, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter on Sunday.

Fowler noted the Saints have an interest in re-signing him and that Winston is "intrigued by that."

"I do expect some productive dialogue between the Saints and Winston for him to potentially come back and play alongside Taysom Hill," Fowler reported.

After spending five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a starting quarterback, Winston took a back seat to Drew Brees in 2020 with the Saints. He remained a backup even when Brees suffered a rib injury, as Hill started four games.

The Saints are now preparing for the future at the position with Brees expected to retire this offseason.

Despite the limited playing time, New Orleans coach Sean Payton gave high praise to the quarterback recently on NFL Network's Good Morning Football (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com):

"We had a great exposure for one year with Jameis Winston. We didn't have a normal offseason, but we had enough time to see what we had with him as a player, as a leader, as an athlete. I really like what we had a chance to see. He was a tremendous leader for this team, and that's hard to do when you come in new in free agency your first year as a backup quarterback. So that'll be an important checkmark for us."

Winston went 7-of-11 for 75 yards during limited action in the regular season but showcased his upside throwing a 56-yard touchdown pass in the playoffs.

The 27-year-old showed his positives and negatives as a starter in 2019, leading the NFL with 5,109 passing yards to go with 33 touchdown passes but also throwing a league-high 30 interceptions. Tampa Bay went 7-9 with Winston at the helm one year before Tom Brady led the squad to a Super Bowl title.

Considering the 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick only managed a one-year, $1.1 million contract last offseason, it could be difficult for him to find a better deal after minimal playing time in 2020.

It could lead Winston back to New Orleans where he can try to win the starting job from Hill.