Jameis Winston Favored to Be New Orleans Saints’ Week 1 Starter

Following Drew Brees’ retirement, the biggest question in the NFL right now is who will be the Saints’ next starting quarterback?

Brees was New Orleans starter for the previous 15 seasons. He led them to their first and only Super Bowl title in 2009 and guided the team to five playoff appearances in the last eight seasons and division titles in each of the previous four campaigns. But just like any athlete story, Brees’ came to an end after the 2020 season with age catching up with him.

Despite leading the Saints to a 12-4 record and the NFC South title, New Orleans lost to eventual champion Tampa Bay in the divisional playoffs and Brees played the worst game of his playoff career, throwing three interceptions. After that defeat, it was pretty clear that Brees’ career was over. It’s unclear though who his replacement will be.

Saints Next QB in the Building

With head coach Sean Payton reaffirming earlier this year that the Saints’ next QB is in the building, the best NFL betting sites have placed the in-house guys as the betting favorites to take over Drew Brees’ old job: Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston.

Hill was officially Brees’ back-up. The former BYU standout has played behind Brees since 2017 but is unproven as a dual-threat QB. However, he got some experience for his resume last season when Brees went out with injury. Payton named him as the starter and the Saints went 3-1 during that five-game span with Hill tossing four TD passes, rushing for two, while throwing a pair of interceptions. Despite that, online sportsbook SportsBetting.ag lists him second in their current odds board at +175.

The other QB in New Orleans last season was Jameis Winston, the QB that lost his job because Tom Brady signed with the Bucs. Winston signed a one-year minimum deal with the Saints, hoping not only to learn from Brees and Payton but to resurrect his career in New Orleans.

Winston is currently a free agent but Payton has made it clear that they want to re-sign him so he can compete for the starting job. With his NFL resume, Winston is the odds on favorite to become Brees’ successor at -175 at the same sportsbook.

Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson in Play?

In the first odds board after Brees’ retirement, the names of Houston Texans’ QB Deshaun Watson and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson floated as among the possible players to replace Brees. SportsBetting.ag listed Watson at 7/1 while putting Wilson at 10/1. However, the odds board has changed drastically since then, with the only other option aside from Winston and Hill being “others” at +300.

The Texans continue to insist that Watson isn’t going to be traded despite his demand. Wilson is reportedly open to being traded by the Seahawks but that is not clear. Alex Smith was previously pegged at 15/1 after his release from the Washington Football Team but his injury history may be a red flag for the Saints. Terry Bridgewater was also at 15/1 after he played back-up to Brees for two seasons.

New Orleans owns the 28th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft but that is usually not the spot where teams find their next franchise QB. Then there are mid-tier QBs like Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick or even Sam Darnold. There are a lot of possibilities but when you look at this group which is now bundles as “others”, it seems unlikely that the Saints go that direction. That leads us back to Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill.