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Lessons from Sean Payton, Drew Brees stay with Jameis Winston as he returns to New Orleans
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- Lessons from Sean Payton, Drew Brees stay with Jameis Winston as he returns to New Orleans
BEREA — Jameis Winston will be going back to the place where he saw an evolution in himself as an NFL quarterback. The people most closely connected to that evolution, however, no longer are with the team he'll be facing.
Winston spent the last four seasons with the New Orleans Saints , against whom the Browns play Sunday. Despite having spent five seasons as the face of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2015, the four years in the Big Easy as, mostly, a backup are years he reflects upon fondly.
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"How fondly?" Winston said when asked this week. "Well, I'm grateful for every opportunity that I have. But I'm really grateful for the time, really one year, that I had with [former coach] Sean Payton and [former quarterback] Drew Brees of just learning how to play the quarterback position the right way."
Payton and Brees, who spent 15 years together as coach and quarterback in New Orleans , have been long departed from the Saints. The former "retired" from coaching after the 2021 season, only to resurface last year as the Denver Broncos coach, while the latter retired after the 2020 season.
The duo may be gone, but their impact is something Winston has carried with him since that one year the three of them shared a quarterbacks room. Even as he prepares for his third start as the Browns quarterback, there are lessons he's utilized.
Drew Brees, left, and Jameis Winston of the New Orleans Saints look on from the sideline during their game against the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Nov. 15, 2020 in New Orleans, La. Brees suffered multiple rib fractures and a collapsed lung during the game.
"I think the biggest thing was just how my film sequence, how I watched film throughout the week, just studying how Drew prepared," Winston said. "He prepared, like, tirelessly, and the way that I prepared when I got in, sometimes it was too much, so he was so efficient with his schedule. I believe that I became more efficient with what I do instead of just doing all I can do."
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In Winston's final year with the Buccaneers in 2019, he led the NFL in passing attempts (626), passing yards (5,109) —and interceptions (30). The next year, he was a backup to a future Hall of Fame quarterback while playing for a Hall of Fame coach.
That first season with the Saints, Winston played only four games, completing 7 of 11 passes for 75 yards. The growth he felt during that season, though, was still invaluable.
"It's what to do and what not to do," Winston said. "When you see a quarterback that has done it at a high level for a long time under a system that he's been in for a long time, you just see the day in and day out detail and intentionality that is taken with every play."
Winston showed how much he learned from Brees when he took over for him as the Saints starter in 2021. Statistically, he appeared to be on track for a career season, especially with 14 touchdown passes to only three interceptions.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) is congratulated by quarterback Jameis Winston (2) after a touchdown against the New York Giants on Dec. 17, 2023, in New Orleans.
However, that season was cut short after seven games because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Winston started just three games over his final 10 appearances between 2022-23, losing his job to Andy Dalton in 2022 before the Saints acquired Derek Carr from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.
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That didn't change Winston, the person. That's the part where he may have left his biggest mark on the Saints and the city of New Orleans.
"He's one of the greatest teammates I've ever had in my life," Carr told New Orleans reporters Wednesday. "I love Jameis. I texted him the week when he hit the game-winner and all that. I said, 'Man, it couldn't happen to a better person.' He's an amazing teammate, amazing friend. He was here for me in our time here. He's a guy you just always root for, and very happy for him. … He works so hard. He works so hard, and he's really, really talented."
The Browns signed Winston in March in part because of that talent, but also because of the way he ingratiates himself to his teammates, especially the quarterbacks. Long before he replaced an injured Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback late last month, he made it his mission to become a mentor and a confidant.
Watson's injury, though, has opened up the door for Winston to be The Man at quarterback again. Sunday will be his third consecutive start, which he last did to open the 2022 season before injuries cost him his job to Dalton.
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The first two have been vintage Winston. There was the three-touchdown, AFC Offensive Player of the Week performance in a last-minute win over the Baltimore Ravens , followed by a three-interception showing in a 17-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers right before last week's bye.
Winston heads back to a place he called home for four years looking for a performance a little closer to the first one than the second. He'll do so while drawing on the lessons from that first season in New Orleans.
"Yeah, I think that goes to one play at a time," Winston said. "Everyone has their unique perspective, but only few, actually 32 people, are actually within the pocket and getting a chance to execute that. So with my preparation, I'm going to continue to focus on one play at a time and eliminating the negatives and building on the positives."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jameis Winston credits lessons from time with Saints for growth as QB
