In the NFL, things can change very quickly, and when they say next man up, they truly mean it. Every week, we see players get injured. Some are role players, while others happen to be starting quarterbacks.
In the case of the New Orleans Saints, their starting quarterback is newly signed Derek Carr. Carr comes over after a long stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, behind him is another NFL veteran, and if anything were to happen to Carr, the Saints would be in good hands with backup QB Jameis Winston.
Who Is Jameis Winston?
Winston is the current backup QB for the Saints. He played college football at Florida State University, where he became the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy and led his team to victory in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game during his freshman year.
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Winston would go on to be the first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He set several franchise rookie records for the Buccaneers, earning himself a Pro Bowl selection.
Unfortunately, during his time in Tampa Bay, Winston was unable to reach the playoffs with the Buccaneers and would not be re-signed once his rookie contract expired.
Upon not being brought back to the Buccaneers, Winston would sign with the Saints for the next chapter in his NFL career. When Winston originally signed with the Saints it was with the intention of backing up then starting quarterback Drew Brees, but the following year in 2021, Winston would be named the starting quarterback over Taysom Hill after the conclusion of the preseason.
Winston would be the starter for the Saints through Week 8 before suffering a season-ending knee injury against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston would rehab his injury and come back the next season after signing a 2-year 28 million extension to stay with the team.
Unfortunately, Winston suffered a back injury in Week 1 of that season that forced him to play in pain for the first three weeks of the year before finally being inactive for weeks four and five. Winston would never again regain his starting role with the team as he would back up another NFL journeyman, Andy Dalton for the remainder of the season.
Winston in the offseason would once again re-sign with the Saints, however, this time the team would also sign Derek Carr to be the starting quarterback of their franchise, relegating Winston to a backup QB role.