Jameis Winston reportedly named Saints' starting quarterback
Drew Brees' heir has been named, and a new era is about to begin in New Orleans.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Friday that the New Orleans Saints have named Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback.
Jameis Winston has been named the Saints' starting quarterback and will make his first start for New Orleans on opening day vs. Green Bay Packers, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2021
Winston had been battling with Taysom Hill for Brees' old job, but distinguished himself with his excellent preseason performance. He especially impressed in the Saints' second preseason game, a 23-21 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Winston played for just about one quarter, completing 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Winston's play may have made the decision easy for head coach Sean Payton, but the support he got from his teammates probably helped. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, they treated Winston like the starter all week.
Jameis Winston is receiving significant locker-room support this week for the #Saints starting QB job, with many teammates treating him as if he is the starter or giving indications he will get the job, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 27, 2021
Hill has been Payton's Swiss Army quarterback for the past few seasons, even starting half of the Saints' games last year. With Winston in the starting role, this will allow him to continue playing wherever Payton needs him to. Hill will also come in handy in case Winston gets injured or he throws an unacceptable amount of interceptions, which he's been known to do (he threw 30 in 2019, his last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
