31 May 2023 , 21:30
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Jameis Winston is now going into his fourth season with the New Orleans Saints after making just 14 starts in the last three years with the team - but he isn't settled on being a back-up.
The first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft has had somewhat of a rollercoaster career, earning the label of a 'high risk, high reward' quarterback, especially when leading the league in both passing yards and interceptions in 2019.
That season happened to be his last with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he spent five years as the starter before being replaced by Tom Brady. He then joined the Saints, competing with Drew Brees, Taysom Hill and Andy Dalton over the last few seasons to be the starter but never truly holding down the spot.
This off-season, the Saints made a big splash in signing Derek Carr to a four-year deal, which will see him be the starter for the foreseeable future. And while Winston is to be the man behind him for now, that's not a role he sees himself in for much longer as he confidently declared he is still capable of being a starting NFL quarterback.
Speaking to the media, Winston said: "The main thing is the opportunity, and I'm just grateful every chance I get an opportunity to step into a building and play a sport I love. However, I know that I'm still a starting quarterback in this league. But, man, I have to be, like this is all a process.
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"There's some Hall of Famers that made their big break at 30. So I'm still young, I'm still 29, but right now my role is to serve this team in the role that I'm in. And I'm all-in to doing that. Because again, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to still wear a Saints uniform or to be in the NFL in general.
Jameis Winston will be the first man up if Carr goes down, and could be a trade candidate for teams looking for a quarterback"Everyone has different journeys in this league. But it's challenging to be a NFL quarterback. And when you have an opportunity to be a starting NFL quarterback, you want to make the most of it.
"I've just had some unfortunate injuries over the past three years, so this is where I'm at. But this is not what I visualize being in the near future.
"But where I'm at right now is focusing on getting healthy, focusing on taking advantage of this opportunity I have to serve Derek [Carr], to serve this team and serve this organization the best that I can."
It may come as a surprise to many that he agreed a deal to stay with the Saints - knowing that he'd not get a true shot at starting this season. Winston will hope to impress in pre-season and should Carr not be able to play, as a potential trade candidate for teams down the line.