Winston (thumb) is in the process of finalizing a one-year contract with the Saints, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports.
Reports surfaced shortly after the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday that the Saints were interested in bringing Winston aboard, and the two sides were apparently able to quickly hammer out the parameters of a deal. As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes, the Saints may choose to wait until after 4 p.m. ET on Monday to make Winston's signing official, as New Orleans wouldn't lose out on a future compensatory draft choice after that deadline. Assuming the deal ultimately gets finalized, Robinson notes that Winston wouldn't be guaranteed the top backup quarterback job that was vacated when Teddy Bridgewater signed with Carolina in March; instead, Winston would be forced to battle with holdover Taysom Hill for the No. 2 role in a best-case scenario. Even though Winston's path to a starting gig in New Orleans would be blocked barring an injury to Drew Brees, the opportunity to spend a developmental year under offensive guru Sean Payton could help the 26-year-old cash in as a free agent next offseason in a manner similar to Bridgewater, who signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Panthers.