Saints' Jameis Winston insists he's a starting NFL QB

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston insisted Tuesday he's capable of starting for a contending team. 

"But, man, I have to be, like this is all a process," Winston told reporters about his mindset following practice, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN. "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."

Winston played in just 10 games for the Saints over the past two regular seasons. He suffered a torn ACL and damage to his MCL in the fall of 2021 and then lost the QB1 gig with New Orleans last season to injury setbacks and to veteran Andy Dalton.

After the Saints signed former Las Vegas Raiders starter Derek Carr to a four-year contract reportedly worth up to $150M in March, Winston agreed to a revised deal to remain with New Orleans and serve as Carr's primary backup. 

Winston's business decision makes little sense, on paper, if he's serious about wanting to prove he can start at the highest level as soon as later this summer. 

"It's just very familiar," Winston explained about staying put this offseason. "I trust this organization, I believe in this team that we have a great defense, great offense. And last year we had a lot of opportunities to break open some games, but with the addition of Derek, I think he's gonna bring a lot of good things to this team."

In his three games this past campaign, Winston completed 63.5% of 115 passes for 858 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. 

The first pick from the 2015 NFL Draft will likely spend what will become his final season with the Saints watching Carr play unless the club's new starter goes down to an injury or a team such as the Raiders makes a move for Winston.