After sustaining a foot injury on August 9, New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has finally returned with the team in a practice session on Sunday afternoon. Winston’s return was confirmed by ESPN Saints reporter Katherine Terrell.
Winston was seen participating in the team’s walk-through, drills, and individual work on Sunday after 12 days of absence. He also missed out on two preseason games. Winston’s potential return to the team this year was a breath of fresh air for Saints fans. Many predicted his return after the franchise waived quarterback KJ Costello on Sunday.
Joining back with the Saints means Winston is back on track gearing up for the regular season this September. However, it remains unclear whether the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play in the Saints’ final preseason game on August 26 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Debut in NFL
Winston debuted his NFL career with the Bucs in 2015. A Florida State Seminoles product, Tampa Bay drafted him first overall in the draft and had him under a four-year, $23.35 million contract alongside a $16.7 million signing bonus.
He would remain to play for the Bucs until his release to New Orleans in 2020. During five years in Tampa Bay, the QB appeared in 72 games and 70 of which he played as a starter player. He threw for a whopping 19737 yards, recorded 121 touchdowns, and made 11 interceptions. In addition, he completed 1665 passes out of 2720 attempts.
Winston’s season-high stats with the Bucs was exactly before his release. In 2019, the 28-year-old played and started in 16 games, threw for 5109, and posted 33 TDs and 30 INTs. He also made his highest sacks count of 47 and completed 380 passes out of 626 attempts.
Winston’s career with Saints
Winston was signed to a one-year contract in 2020 after four seasons stint with the Bucs. His contract was worth $1.1 million, which includes $952,000 of base salary, and he was entitled to a $148,000 signing bonus.
That year, Winston only appeared in four games and threw for 75 yards, which was his career-low—much lower compared to his previous year in Tampa Bay, where the Bessemer native posted his career-high yards threw of 5109.
The following season, New Orleans extended the 2015 Pro Bowler’s stay via yet another single-year contract worth $12 million. The signing paid off as Winston’s yards threw skyrocketed to 1170 yards. He also made 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.
In 2021, Winston had to sustain a serious knee injury after he was horse-collar tackled by Bucs linebacker Devin White in Week 8. Winston was taken directly off-field, and Trevor Siemian was sent as his replacement. The Saints ended up winning the matchup 36-27. It was revealed the following day that Winston had suffered season-ending injuries, such as torn ACL and damaged MCL. These injuries resulted in him missing out on the remaining games of the season.
Earlier in March this year, New Orleans retained the 2019 NFL passing yards leader through a two-year, $28 million contract extension and a $21 million guaranteed. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport also reported the deal included a $14 million signing bonus.