Saints’ Jameis Winston Done For Year

It’s official. On Monday afternoon, Saints head coach Sean Payton announced that Jameis Winston has been diagnosed with a torn ACL (Twitter link via Saints). 

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Winston also suffered MCL damage, which may prolong his recovery. The timing is especially unfortunate for the quarterback as he’ll be out of contract in the spring.

Winston, the first-overall pick in the 2015 draft, joined New Orleans in 2020 following five underwhelming years in Tampa Bay. He saw time in four games during his first Saints season, completing seven of his 11 pass attempts for 75 yards. He also came up key during the Saints’ postseason loss to the Buccaneers, completing his lone pass attempt for 56 yards and a score. After that, he returned on a one-year deal with $5.5MM guaranteed and the potential to earn up to $12MM via incentives, most of which he will not earn now that he’s shelved for the second half.

The Saints will either turn the offense over to backup Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill, depending on Hill’s post-concussion status. They could also weigh some out-of-house options, but NBC analyst Drew Brees and free agent Cam Newton will not be among those considered.

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