Saints Undervalued in Super Bowl Odds if Jameis Winston Returns
By Peter Dewey
The New Orleans Saints had a rough 2021 season, as they went through Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian and Ian Book at quarterback.
However, the team wouldn't have likely made a change at all if Winston didn't tear his ACL, as the former No. 1 overall pick was 5-2; leading the team to an upset over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being ruled out for the season.
The Saints are faced with a bit of a salary cap crisis this coming offseason, but if they bring back Winston, they could contend in the NFC South now that Tom Brady is retired.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that "many teams" across the NFL expect the Saints to bring Winston back for the 2022 season.
It's been well-documented that the Saints need to cut costs this offseason, but they can still open up the cap room to bring back Winston by converting/restructuring deals with veteran players.
Here's a way to visualize how much effective cap space teams have currently, and how much they can end up with if they complete max restructures on their veteran contracts. This is a better way to evaluate how much money teams have for the offseason than just current cap space pic.twitter.com/lOtEX4sS8g
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) February 17, 2022
WynnBET Sportsbook has the Saints at +4000 to win the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, while the Bucs, without Brady, are sitting at +3000. Are we serious?
The Bucs could trade for a veteran quarterback, but Winston showed last season he can really help the Saints play winning football, as New Orleans went just 4-6 without him down the stretch of the season.
If Winston is ready to play by Week 1, I think he could lead this team to a division title, especially with New Orleans' strong defense. Last season, Winston threw 14 touchdowns to just three picks in his seven games, and the Saints seemed to find a game plan to help support his strengths.
Winning the division would be the first step for New Orleans to be a Super Bowl contender, and they are one of my favorite dark horse picks if Winston is indeed back next season.