2019-2020 NFL Season (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

Report: Saints, Jameis Winston negotiating one-year deal

Jameis Winston is preparing to accept a job where he'll have no chance of starting.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

That's one of the last places I would have predicted Winston to sign. With Brees and Taysom Hill there, he has little chance of playing. I guess he figures that Teddy Bridgewater was able to resurrect his career and sign a decent free agent contract after serving as apprentice with the Saints, so maybe he's hoping for something similar?

 

[Robert Crawford]

That's one of the last places I would have predicted Winston to sign. With Brees and Taysom Hill there, he has little chance of playing. I guess he figures that Teddy Bridgewater was able to resurrect his career and sign a decent free agent contract after serving as apprentice with the Saints, so maybe he's hoping for something similar?

I'm not sold on Taysom Hill and this is probably Brees's last year.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

That's one of the last places I would have predicted Winston to sign. With Brees and Taysom Hill there, he has little chance of playing. I guess he figures that Teddy Bridgewater was able to resurrect his career and sign a decent free agent contract after serving as apprentice with the Saints, so maybe he's hoping for something similar?

I'm not really surprised by that because the Saints had made it plain they wanted to add another QB and no matter where Winston went he was going to be a back-up and he was willing to do that. Plus the Saints pondered drafting Jordan Love. I thought the Steelers were the best fit for him due to the potential fragility of Big Ben and then they would have had a guy that could have stepped onto the field and win games for them. Plus Ben seems at a stage where it is highly likely he will miss time during his remaining seasons and could fall off that performance cliff at any moment. Winston was a perfect insurance policy and stop gap player and Tomlin was a guy that Winston would have meshed well with.

The Saints are certainly a better landing spot for Winston as he is now on a legit Super Bowl contender with one of the top offensive coaches in the league. My guess is Hill won't like this as he wants to be an NFL starter but my bet would be interest in Winston will go up after a year working with Payton.

I figured Winston would land on a team before Newton. Winston indicated he would be a back-up and that meant he would need to go to a team with an established starter, a guy like Brees or Big Ben because quite honestly Winston has a better skill set and abilities than a bunch of the starters in the league. So, if someone like the Raiders grabbed him he would be in the running to unseat a guy like Carr and then you are dealing with a QB controversy. Or the Patriots, I mean Winston is way better right now than the QBs the Pats have on their roster. So, he would beat out Stidham or Hoyer with ease.

Speaking of which, the rumors are that Newton's agent and/or people have been angling to get the Patriots to pick him up. They say he'll play on a bargain contract to be a Patriot to maybe get a ring. It appears to be his preferred landing spot but can't say if the Patriots are interested. Oddly, or maybe not since Belichick's dog was running their draft, the Patriots did not even bother to draft a QB but did sign a rookie free agent (J'mar Smith) right after the draft. This pretty much leaves the Pats with the weakest looking QB room in the NFL at the moment. It means either Bill and his dog are fully committed to Stidham or that they maybe will bring in Newton on some sort of short term favorable deal. Also Andy Dalton is still in play and his agent was doing all he could to get the Patriots to show interest in him as they were also Dalton's preferred destination. I actually think Dalton would be a perfect Patriot.

Newton's options have plummeted and really are kind of down to the Patriots, Jaguars, or maybe Redskins if Rivera has some sort of change of heart and brings him in. Seems unlikely at the moment but it could happen.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I'm not really surprised by that because the Saints had made it plain they wanted to add another QB and no matter where Winston went he was going to be a back-up and he was willing to do that. Plus the Saints pondered drafting Jordan Love. I thought the Steelers were the best fit for him due to the potential fragility of Big Ben and then they would have had a guy that could have stepped onto the field and win games for them. Plus Ben seems at a stage where it is highly likely he will miss time during his remaining seasons and could fall off that performance cliff at any moment. Winston was a perfect insurance policy and stop gap player and Tomlin was a guy that Winston would have meshed well with.

The Saints are certainly a better landing spot for Winston as he is now on a legit Super Bowl contender with one of the top offensive coaches in the league. My guess is Hill won't like this as he wants to be an NFL starter but my bet would be interest in Winston will go up after a year working with Payton.

I figured Winston would land on a team before Newton. Winston indicated he would be a back-up and that meant he would need to go to a team with an established starter, a guy like Brees or Big Ben because quite honestly Winston has a better skill set and abilities than a bunch of the starters in the league. So, if someone like the Raiders grabbed him he would be in the running to unseat a guy like Carr and then you are dealing with a QB controversy. Or the Patriots, I mean Winston is way better right now than the QBs the Pats have on their roster. So, he would beat out Stidham or Hoyer with ease.

Speaking of which, the rumors are that Newton's agent and/or people have been angling to get the Patriots to pick him up. They say he'll play on a bargain contract to be a Patriot to maybe get a ring. It appears to be his preferred landing spot but can't say if the Patriots are interested. Oddly, or maybe not since Belichick's dog was running their draft, the Patriots did not even bother to draft a QB but did sign a rookie free agent (J'mar Smith) right after the draft. This pretty much leaves the Pats with the weakest looking QB room in the NFL at the moment. It means either Bill and his dog are fully committed to Stidham or that they maybe will bring in Newton on some sort of short term favorable deal. Also Andy Dalton is still in play and his agent was doing all he could to get the Patriots to show interest in him as they were also Dalton's preferred destination. I actually think Dalton would be a perfect Patriot.

Newton's options have plummeted and really are kind of down to the Patriots, Jaguars, or maybe Redskins if Rivera has some sort of change of heart and brings him in. Seems unlikely at the moment but it could happen.

The Steelers really should have addressed their backup QB situation, but they appear content with the garbage they had last season backing up Ben. It cost the team a playoff spot, so going into this season with the same two guys is a bad plan, IMO. However, I am not sure that Winston and all his interceptions would be the best choice. Dalton would be perfect, but I would be surprised if the Bengals would trade him to their division rival.

Any free agent going to New England would have to sign for peanuts, as I think the Pats are very close to the salary cap -- there's not much wiggle room without cutting some players, and Brady's not around to renegotiate his deal anymore. Would Cam Newton be willing to sign for the veteran minimum just to play in New England? That doesn't seem like something Newton would do.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Interesting that the Eagles drafted Hurts in the 2nd round- I think the Eagles are a little concerned about the fragility of Wentz.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Interesting that the Eagles drafted Hurts in the 2nd round- I think the Eagles are a little concerned about the fragility of Wentz.

Having a quality backup for Wentz won them a Super Bowl, so you cannot blame them.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Having a quality backup for Wentz won them a Super Bowl, so you cannot blame them.

Yes I’m not blaming them- Wentz has to prove he can get through a couple of years without a serious injury. A shame that Wentz hasn’t been able to play in the playoffs due to his injuries.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Interesting that the Eagles drafted Hurts in the 2nd round- I think the Eagles are a little concerned about the fragility of Wentz.

You can't blame the Eagles considering Wentz's injury history.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Yes I’m not blaming them- Wentz has to prove he can get through a couple of years without a serious injury. A shame that Wentz hasn’t been able to play in the playoffs due to his injuries.

I think the addition of Hurts is meant to help Wentz stay healthy because Pederson says they will share the snaps. Hurts will be a run/pass option guy and Wentz will be a passer. So, they did not draft him to be a back-up, they drafted him to add a major new wrinkle to their scheme. I would not be surprised to see them on the field at the same time once and a while.

 

[TonyD]

Another thing to consider is the 17
Game schedule.
I wouldn’t be surprised if other teams use a second qb in a game or two to help keep the regular fresh for late in the season and playoffs.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

The Steelers really should have addressed their backup QB situation, but they appear content with the garbage they had last season backing up Ben. It cost the team a playoff spot, so going into this season with the same two guys is a bad plan, IMO. However, I am not sure that Winston and all his interceptions would be the best choice. Dalton would be perfect, but I would be surprised if the Bengals would trade him to their division rival.

Any free agent going to New England would have to sign for peanuts, as I think the Pats are very close to the salary cap -- there's not much wiggle room without cutting some players, and Brady's not around to renegotiate his deal anymore. Would Cam Newton be willing to sign for the veteran minimum just to play in New England? That doesn't seem like something Newton would do.

Well, that's why I've been thinking Winston would end up with the Steelers. They definitely needed a better back-up option and Winston would have likely given the Steelers the top back-up in the NFL. I was not really worried about Winston's interceptions because I doubt he'll have another 30 interception season. I think that was in part a function of what Arians was doing and the claim is Winston had vision issues and finally had Lasik surgery to fix that this off-season. If his problem really was based on the fact he could not see well then that may have been solved. Winston had supposedly been afraid to have the surgery. Problem solved. Jameis and Ben are both big QBs that can sling it. The Steelers offense could function exactly the same if Ben went down and Jameis had stepped in. So, I thought Winston is perfect for them.

My personal feeling on the Patriots is Bill is going to go with the QB room he has. He could have easily landed Dalton and did not. It looks like a horrible QB room to most people but the word is Bill really likes Stidham. I am leaning toward that is true.

I think Belichick is intentionally setting up a QB competition that Stidham can easily win. If Stidham can't beat out Hoyer, a guy that I think most NFL QBs could beat out...well...Bill needs another QB. I think part of Bill's development of Stidham is to try to give him the confidence of knowing he won the job. Hoyer and Smith are guys he should beat. Andy Dalton...well...he probably could not beat him out. Hence Bill passed on him.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Another thing to consider is the 17
Game schedule.
I wouldn’t be surprised if other teams use a second qb in a game or two to help keep the regular fresh for late in the season and playoffs.

I thought I read that the NFL has confirmed a 16 game schedule for 2020.

 

[Malcolm R]

I don't think the schedule expands until the next CBA takes effect. Seems like they still had a year or two remaining on the current deal.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Below are Winston's numbers from last year. Outside of the picks, which if he sees things better due to the Lasik that's huge, those are spectacular for a back-up QB. I mean he can win you games coming off the bench.


QBrec
7-9-0

Cmp%
60.7

Yds
5109

Y/A
8.2

TD
33

Int
30

 

[Jeffrey D]

No surprise- Bengals are releasing QB Andy Dalton. No team was going to give the Bengals anything for him. Two possible landing spots for Andy- Jaguars and Patriots. These are realistic possibilities.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

No surprise- Bengals are releasing QB Andy Dalton. No team was going to give the Bengals anything for him. Two possible landing spots for Andy- Jaguars and Patriots. These are realistic possibilities.

Yes, Dalton really wants to be a Patriot but the Jaguars could be who rapidly signs him. On either of those teams he can compete for the starting job. The Broncos might jump into the mix on him but really Dalton probably has a one-two preference of Patriots and Jaguars. On the Jags he would jump right into a system he knows and likely can beat out Minshew. On the Patriots he would compete against Hoyer (who he seems obviously better than) and Stidham (who is an unknown but seems to be Belichick's favored choice). I think what Belichick is doing is trying to set-up a situation that makes it easier for Stidham to "win" the job by giving him not much competition. Dalton does not know the Patriots offense but he is a seasoned veteran that could be more than Stidham could beat out.

I would bet the Jaguars were the first to call Dalton's agent. Andy probably wants to see if he gets an offer from the Patriots (which based on what Winston got from the Saints could be as little as $1.1 million plus incentives) before going to the Jaguars because in New England under Belichick maybe he gets to play for a ring. In Jacksonville he walks into another sloppy situation where he may not even make the playoffs.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Yes, Dalton really wants to be a Patriot but the Jaguars could be who rapidly signs him. On either of those teams he can compete for the starting job. The Broncos might jump into the mix on him but really Dalton probably has a one-two preference of Patriots and Jaguars. On the Jags he would jump right into a system he knows and likely can beat out Minshew. On the Patriots he would compete against Hoyer (who he seems obviously better than) and Stidham (who is an unknown but seems to be Belichick's favored choice). I think what Belichick is doing is trying to set-up a situation that makes it easier for Stidham to "win" the job by giving him not much competition. Dalton does not know the Patriots offense but he is a seasoned veteran that could be more than Stidham could beat out.

I would bet the Jaguars were the first to call Dalton's agent. Andy probably wants to see if he gets an offer from the Patriots (which based on what Winston got from the Saints could be as little as $1.1 million plus incentives) before going to the Jaguars because in New England under Belichick maybe he gets to play for a ring. In Jacksonville he walks into another sloppy situation where he may not even make the playoffs.

I don’t see the Broncos being interested in Andy- I think they’re full steam ahead with Drew Lock, and I doubt Dalton’s first choice is to be a backup.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I don’t see the Broncos being interested in Andy- I think they’re full steam ahead with Drew Lock, and I doubt Dalton’s first choice is to be a backup.

I don't see the Broncos being his first or second choice. I believe the Broncos interest is to have him mentor Lock not to start him and to give them a solid back-up were Lock to go down. Dalton has made no secret of the fact he wants to be a Patriot and so I think he immediately told his agent to call Belichick. Belichick can be such a weirdo though so even though it would be a no-brainer to sign Dalton for the chump change Winston got in New Orleans...well...Bill might not if he has it in his head he wants Stidham to have the job. So far, it looks like he wants Stidham to have the job.

Winston signed with the Saints for Brian Hoyer money. That's an awesome deal for New Orleans. Dalton is going to get the same kind of deal and he's not as talented nor as young as Winston.

Meanwhile Newton sits and probably will until maybe August.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Someone at NFL.com has the Jets as another possibility for Dalton. If Andy is OK with a backup role, the Jets should be interested.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

No surprise- Bengals are releasing QB Andy Dalton. No team was going to give the Bengals anything for him. Two possible landing spots for Andy- Jaguars and Patriots. These are realistic possibilities.

The Jags and Patriots are the two teams I saw as the most likely landing spots, too. If he really wants to be a Patriot, Dalton will have to sign a contract similar to what Winston signed in New Orleans. New England is pushed close to the salary cap. I would love to see the Steelers go after him, but there is no way Dalton would sign there over New England or probably Jacksonville -- he has a much better opportunity to start at the other places.

Speaking of Winston, supposedly, the Steelers did make an offer to him, but he chose to sign with the Saints.