Skip to main content

New on SI: SI Insider: Recent Moves by The Saints Are an Attempt to Best Position Themselves After Drew Brees' Impending Exit

SI's Albert Breer shares what the recent deals mean for the Saints going forward

On Tuesday, the Saints and Jameis Winston made it official, with the quarterback signing a one-year deal worth $1.1 million with incentives that can take it to close to $5 Million. 

But this was not about the money. And it truly is a win win for both sides. For Winston, he has a chance to go and rehabilitate his image a little bit, work in the background with one of the best quarterback coaches in the sport. That's Sean Payton. And he has the chance to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the sport, Drew Brees. 

You want an example of how this worked for someone else? Take a look at what it did for Teddy Bridgewater, coming off a horrific injury in Minnesota - he winds up siding with the Jets, gets traded to the Saints, and spending two years in New Orleans really proved that he was healthy again. This off-season he signed with the Carolina Panthers. He is their unquestioned starting quarterback now and has a three-year $63 Million deal. 

For the Saints, this is about planning post-Drew Brees. They already have Taysom Hill on the roster, they signed him for 2021. They have Winston under contract for this year. They get a chance to develop and evaluate Winston in their system. They'll have the chance at the same time to see if Hill makes progress and then they'll be able to make a decision on the quarterback position after 2020 should Drew Brees retire. 

As much as anything else - this is about throwing one more dart at that quarterback dartboard. And if you want an example of how that worked out for someone else: look at how the Seattle Seahawks built for three years under Pete Carroll and John Schneider who kept taking shots at who might be their quarterback. Trading for Charlie Whitehurst, bringing in Tarvaris Jackson, signing Matt Flynn, and bringing Matt Hasselbeck back for a year. And in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, they end up landing Russell Wilson. The rest is history. The Saints doing the same sort of thing here, throwing multiple darts at that dartboard.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

New on SI: Everson Griffen Is Sorry for Calling Kirk Cousins ‘Ass’

His return to the Vikings is just a little awkward. He was right, though  Everson Griffen is back with the Vikings. Whether all his teammates are happy to have him back remains to be seen. Griffen was a key member of the Minnesota defense from 2010–19, averaging 7.5 sacks per season and making the Pro Bowl four times. After his most recent Pro Bowl season, in 2019, he signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys. He didn’t make much of an impact in Dallas and got traded to the Lions, where he faced the Vikings in the final game of the season. A few days after that game, Griffen shared his thoughts on his former teammate Kirk Cousins, saying he was “ass” and asking if anybody thought Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was the one who wanted Cousins in Minnesota. Now, that’s an opinion shared by a majority of NFL fans, but what makes Griffen’s tweets really weird is that they came while he was trying to get the Vikings to bring him back. Seriously! The day after the Vikings–Lions game, ...
Read more

New on SI: Dolphins Select Jaylen Waddle With No. 6 Pick in 2021 NFL Draft

After winning the national championship at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle is now heading to the NFL. View the original article to see embedded media. Jaylen Waddle went from suffering a presumed season-ending ankle injury to winning  the national championship last season.  He's now headed to the NFL after the Dolphins selected the wide receiver at No. 6 in the 2021 NFL draft.  Waddle started the 2020 college season with a bang at Alabama last fall, topping 120 receiving yards in four consecutive games to start the season. He tallied 557 yards on 25 catches, adding with four touchdowns during the stretch. Waddle missed six games after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Tennessee. He returned to the field in before suiting up for the national title game. While visibly limping at times, the wideout hauled in three catches for 34 yards. "My hat's off to him," head coach Nick Saban said when Waddled declared for the draft . "I had the same injury, so I know...
Read more

New on SI: Report: Packers GM Stands Firm, Still Against Trading Aaron Rodgers

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is contractually obligated to report to the team's mandatory three-day minicamp starting June 8. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is reportedly "still holding firm" to not trade quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason, according to The Athletic .  The report cites the upcoming week as a critical point in the ongoing saga. If the team waits until after June 1 to trade Rodgers, it will save $16.05 million in cap space. Meanwhile, Rodgers is not contractually obligated to report to the team until June 8 when a mandatory three-day minicamp begins.  If the reigning MVP does not show up, he would be fined $15,515 for the first day, $31,030 for the second day and $46,540 for the third day, under the current collective bargaining agreement. Rodgers, who is under contract until 2023, has not reported to the voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) that began last week and will miss out on a $500,000 workout b...
Read more