Unable to convince quarterback Deshaun Watson to waive his no-trade clause for them, the New Orleans Saints have moved on to plan B: signing Jameis Winston.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Saints have re-signed Winston on a two-year, $28 million contract that includes $21 million in guaranteed money and possibly some incentives that will boost the total value.

Winston, 28, had spent five years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before they decided to move on to Tom Brady at quarterback. He signed with the Saints in 2020 to try and revive his career, which had stalled with the Bucs, but played very little that year. He got a full shot as starting quarterback in 2021 after Drew Brees retired, and looked more than decent. He showed a focus that never seemed to totally be there with the Bucs, and even reduced his interceptions, which had been a massive problem in the past.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see how Winston would do over a full season of starts with the Saints. In Week 8 he sustained a torn ACL as well as damage to his MCL, ending his season immediately.

While it wasn't a given that the former Heisman Trophy winner would re-sign with the Saints, it seemed like the logical place for him. Even when Tampa had an open spot at quarterback — before Tom Brady changed his mind about retiring — head coach Bruce Arians said that bringing Winston back into the fold wouldn't be "the best thing" for him.

At this point in time, Winston and the Saints just make sense together. Winston is recovering from a serious injury and wants to reestablish himself, and possibly continue the upward trajectory he was on before he hurt his knee. The Saints are floating in that undefined space between the retirement of a franchise quarterback and a full-on rebuild. They need a bridge to get them to the next phase (whatever that happens to be), and Winston can be that bridge.