NEW ORLEANS, La. – In an April Zoom call, Jameis Winston said that he will use his time with the Saints as an opportunity to improve every aspect of his game.
According to Saints’ Quarterbacks Coach Joe Lombardi, Jameis is already making the most of his time with the group despite the COVID-19 setbacks.
Lombardi says, “He’s a guy that makes big plays and that’s always exciting to see someone whose got that ability to get the ball downfield. He’s probably a little more athletic than people give him credit for. It’s fun when you see someone with those kind of tools who puts them into play like he does. He moves the ball and scores points. He was a first-round draft pick for a reason and we are really excited to have him on board.”
“You can tell he loves football and has a great enthusiasm for it. I know I get bored listening to myself talk for two hours over the computer, but man he has got a lot of endurance for talking football and learning about it.”
“I had heard a lot of good things about him from Ryan Griffin, who we had here and has been a backup in Tampa, and man he has exceeded even those expectations and the great things that we had heard abut him,” added Lombardi.
The Saints signed Winston to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.
Last season in Tampa Bay, Winston led the league in passing yards with 5,109.
While he threw a career-high 33 touchdowns, he also threw a league-leading 30 interceptions.
Once training camp begins, both Winston and Taysom Hill are expected to compete for the backup job.
Days before Jameis Winston was signed, the New Orleans Saints signed Taysom Hill to a two-year contract extension, with a reported $16 million guaranteed.
Lombardi says that Taysom’s pay raise was “well deserved” and he looks forward to seeing Hill continue to develop in the Saints system.
Hear what Lombardi had to say about Taysom Hill by clicking the video link below:
“I think he’s proven his worth on the field outside of the position of quarterback. And we have seen his growth as a quarterback and it’s exciting. Because even maybe earlier in his career where, maybe we didn’t think he was playing the position well, he was still making plays. Like I used to say, he can’t help but make plays. And then every year he’s been making improvement. Last year, we felt in training camp he made a huge jump where he was playing the position better. And you add that to all the physical skills that he has. We’re very excited to have him.”
Last season, Taysom Hill had six TD receptions. He had 50 yards passing, 50 yards rushing and 25 yards receiving in the playoff loss to the Vikings.
