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Who is going to be the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 of the upcoming season?
This is a question that the Saints and their fans are having to ask for the first time in fifteen years. Fifteen years.
With future Hall of Famer Drew Brees calling it a career after twenty seasons in the NFL, one of the biggest storylines in the NFL will be: “Who takes over in New Orleans after Drew?” While free agency hasn’t officially begun, there’s talk that the New Orleans Saints front office has already been working with Jameis Winston behind the scenes on a new deal to become the starter in New Orleans:
From @NFLNetwork: #Saints QB Drew Brees has finally officially retired, but New Orleans had already been working on a deal with Jameis Winston, the likely starter in 2021. pic.twitter.com/Nq1qV2cGa9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2021
I’ve personally predicted Jameis to be the starting quarterback for the Saints in 2021 since he first signed with the team last offseason. I’m not necessarily trying to pat myself on the back by any means, but it just goes to show that many fans thought this was the long-term play for a while now.
So I’ll make another prediction, and provide some context for something to look out for:
Last week, I predicted we would hear the news about a Drew Brees retirement in the days leading up to the start of free agency and then an announcement of a Jameis Winston contract on the first day of the official free agency period. I stand by this prediction. I anticipate a new contract (probably somewhere in the two-year range) for Jameis as a Saints.
But...
Something to keep in mind is that the longer Winston stays on the open market, the harder it could be to keep him - and bring in other free agents - to the team. The Saints best option is to strike quickly and not let Winston test the waters to see what other offers could be on the table. Then, once the Saints have shown the league they have some stability at the quarterback position, hopefully then they will be able to attract other free agents to take discounted deals since the Saints remain up against the salary cap.
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