Jameis Winston on Drew Brees: 'He Doesn't Even Know How Much He Means to Me'
March 23, 2021
Jameis Winston might have spent most of last season on the bench for the New Orleans Saints, but he believes there was massive value to playing alongside Drew Brees.
The quarterback got emotional discussing his former teammate on Tuesday:
"Being able to have an entire season with Drew Brees was a dream of mine," Winston said.
Brees announced his retirement this month after 20 years in the NFL and will certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame when eligible. Winston will now get a chance to replace him under center for the Saints after re-signing with the team on a one-year deal.
Winston will compete with Taysom Hill for the starting job entering 2021.
The 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick surprisingly took a backup job last season in New Orleans and then didn't even get the nod when Brees went down with a rib injury. Winston finished the year with just 11 pass attempts in four games.
He seemingly believes the year was still a positive and it's clear Brees was a big part of that.
The two quarterbacks notably shared a lengthy conversation on the sidelines during a playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which ended up being the final game of Brees' career.
Winston later said to Fox Sports that he told his teammate "how much I admired him" and that Brees was "still the best quarterback to ever play this game."
The 27-year-old now has the opportunity to carry on the quarterback's legacy in 2021 and beyond.