Broncos free agent profile: Jameis Winston

From one Denver Broncos fan to many, I think it’s safe to say that we all want nothing more than for Russell Wilson to return to his Seattle form. And even though last season was beyond disappointing, there is much to be optimistic about. Even including the shape Russell Wilson’s game is in. We saw flashes throughout the year, and he really turned things up over the last couple games.

Now, offensive improvement is all but guaranteed with a staff that will be filled with competent coaches with proven success in this league. There will be a new system in place, along with new standards. And it’s a safe assumption that the play calling will be much better, and actually tailored to Wilson’s strengths.

But will a new head coach, offensive play-caller, and of course, the kicking out of Team 3 be enough to revive Wilson’s career? I think so, but not everyone does.

So that’s where Jameis Winston comes into play. Many of us love some Brett Rypien action, but if we’re being honest, he is not a legit threat to take Wilson’s job, but a more experienced quarterback might be.

Winston is mostly known for his Famous Jameis Turnovers, but his high-risk play also resulted in 34 total touchdowns and over 5,000 passing yards in his last season with Tampa Bay. He was then signed to the Saints as a backup in 2020, and has only started 10 games over the last three seasons where he put up an 18-8 TD-INT ratio and 2,028 passing yards (he threw 14 TDs to only three INTs over seven games in 2021).

Currently he is still under contract with the New Orleans Saints due to the two-year extension he signed in the 2022 offseason, but reports point to him likely being a post-June 1st cut; a move that would save the Saints $12.1 million in cap space.

Due to the fact that he is coming off of a poor season and was benched for Andy Dalton, Denver might be able to bring him in for a team-friendly cost. And with Sean Payton compiling and targeting Saints coaches, it would be fair to assume that he will also be considering former Saints players as well.

This signing likely won’t make a huge difference, but it could be a wise move to add another factor to this team that can result in an improvement to Russell Wilson’s game. The Broncos are clearly putting a tremendous amount of weight into turning Wilson into the franchise quarterback this franchise needs, and bolstering the QB room is something to take a look at.

Salary cap may be the main issue working against this possible signing, as Denver has plenty of holes to patch up with just under $12 million in current cap space.

Best case, Wilson gets the boost he needs and returns to form. Worst case, the defense gets a lot more practice catching passes.