Colts: Saints could disrupt Indy on QB market with latest update

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 03: Quarterback Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with teammate quarterback Jameis Winston #2 following a touchdown pass during the first quarter of their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 03: Quarterback Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with teammate quarterback Jameis Winston #2 following a touchdown pass during the first quarter of their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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After failing to acquire Matthew Stafford, the Indianapolis Colts are still in need of a starting quarterback for next season. As we know, the 32-year-old quarterback was dealt to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder this past weekend.

Some fans have made peace with the fact that general manager Chris Ballard was never going to give up that much for Stafford. A large chunk of the fan base, however, is still up in arms about him not pushing the envelope to land him, even if it meant unloading a pair of first-rounders and at least two defensive starters.

Unfortunately for the Colts, their reported interest in another quarterback — Jameis Winston — only figures to divide fans even more. There’s reason to believe that a year with the Saints did wonders for his historically bad decision-making, but the sheer unknown is terrifying to some, especially considering that Indy doesn’t have a huge margin for error with a playoff-ready roster.

Either way, it appears that the Saints are prepared to throw a wrench into those plans as they’re reportedly interested in re-signing Winston this offseason.

The Saints could take another QB off the market and affect the Colts’ plans

"“We had a great exposure for one year with Jameis Winston,” said Saints head coach Sean Payton. “And we didn’t have a normal offseason, but we had enough time to see what we had with him as a player, as a leader, as an athlete. I really like what we had a chance to see. He was a tremendous leader for this team, and that’s hard to do when you come in new in free agency your first year as a backup quarterback. So that’ll be an important checkmark for us.”"

Well, that certainly changes things for the Colts. If we learned anything about Winston choosing to sign with the Saints last offseason, it’s that he was committed to changing the narrative about whether he was entering the “bust” conversation as a former No. 1 overall pick. Taking that into account, you have to think that returning to the Saints — if they’ll have him, of course — will be his top priority this offseason.

Winston didn’t play much in 2020, but that was never the plan when he signed. Instead, he took to the year to learn under Payton and Drew Brees’ veteran tutelage. Given their expertise in terms of running an offense and taking care of the football, you have to think the 27-year-old made leaps and bounds in those departments, no?

We obviously aren’t saying that Winston is our ideal acquisition for the Colts, but this new report implies that another quarterback option could come off the board in due time. When you put it like that, fans might feel inclined to start panicking soon, and we seriously urge them to trust that Ballard will end up making the right decision when all is said and done.