The Facts: According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, with the Saints keeping Sean Payton's staff together after the coach stepped away after the season, many around the league expect them to potentially bring Winston back on a new contract.
Diehards Line:
Two years after a reset of his own in New Orleans, Winston is well-positioned in the free-agent QB pantheon. He sat behind Drew Brees for 2020 instead of chasing a bridge-quarterback job, then re-upped with the Saints and was productive in seven starts in 2021 before tearing his left ACL. The Saints went 5-2, while Winston produced a 14-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, a vast improvement from his turnover-prone ways in Tampa Bay. Winston underwent ACL surgery in November, and he's hoping to start noncontact team drills as soon as May. OC Pete Carmichael knows how to use Winston and maximize his skill set. That means a lot of play-action, on which Winston has averaged 9.8 yards per dropback since 2019, the most in the NFL. "I think they've got something there, and word is his Saints' teammates love him," an NFL offensive coach told Fowler. "The big question is what things will look like without the presence of [Payton]. He's such an elite playcaller. But that's a good staff and good team that shouldn't take much of a step back."