Browns bringing in quarterback Jameis Winston as Deshaun Watson's backup

The Browns have their backup quarterback. It's just not the backup quarterback many went into free agency expecting them to end up signing.

Former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston and the Browns agreed a one-year incentive-laden deal worth up to $8.7 million on Tuesday. Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz was the first to report the sides were nearing a deal.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Winston’s base salary will be $4 million guaranteed.

"Yes, I still envision myself as a starter, however the Lord has also called me to lead by impacting and increasing the men who are around me," Winston told CBS Sports' Josina Anderson, via Anderson's X (formerly Twitter) page. "Having the opportunity to work with Deshaun (Watson) and help him be the best he can possibly be, is my main mission. Now, if Deshaun has to heal up for whatever reason, and I have to take a few games off of him, I’m going to be ready to do that; but I have to fulfill God’s purpose first before my own heart’s desire. Because ultimately I desire to win some Super Bowls, and this roster that Cleveland got, looks like they can do it."

The complication which has clouded the entire situation is Winston's contract status with the Saints. New Orleans technically had the quarterback under contract for 2024, although the expectation was that the team was going to designate him a post-June 1 cut once the league year begins Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Word of the Browns' interest in the 30-year-old Winston first emerged Monday night, shortly after one potential option — Jacoby Brissett — signed with the New England Patriots. Brissett was among a handful of potential targets that also included other former Browns, specifically Joe Flacco.

Winston, according to a league source, was seen as a younger option who better fit the Browns' scheme this season. This offseason, they hired Ken Dorsey as their new offensive coordinator with the objective to better tailor a scheme to maximize starter Deshaun Watson's multi-faceted skills.

Dorsey previously worked during his NFL coaching career with Cam Newton in Carolina and Josh Allen in Buffalo. Both are similar in size and skills to the 6-foot-4, 231-pound Winston, who has shown a strong arm, mobility and, at their worst, a propensity for interceptions.

"I think the understanding of those guys can do things that a lot of people can’t," Dorsey said at his Feb. 5 introductory press conference. "And look, at the same time, there's going to be some times, and I've been through it with Cam and with Josh, where they're going to make unbelievable plays that everybody's going to be like, ‘that's amazing.’ But then there's going to be times that, hey, we scramble around and we might take a sack or something like that and it's like, well just throw the ball (away)."

Winston will be entering his 10th NFL season since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Florida State. He's spent the last four seasons with the Saints, where he was more backup than starter, with 10 starts in 21 appearances.

Over 93 career games, including 80 starts, Winston has completed 61.2% of his passes for 22,104 yards with 141 touchdowns and 99 interceptions. In 2019, with Tampa Bay, he led the league in attempts (626), passing yards (5,109), interceptions (30) and yards per game (319.3), while his 33 TD passes were second in the league.

Winston does have off-the-field red flags from earlier in his career. The NFL suspended Winston for three games in 2018 for personal conduct policy violations following an investigation concluded that he inappropriately touched an Uber driver in a sexual manner without her consent.

There were also multiple incidents while Winston was at Florida State which drew national attention. The school eventually settled with a woman in 2016 who filed a Title IX lawsuit against the school alleging the quarterback had raped her while on campus as a recruit in high school in 2012.

Winston countersued the woman. He was never arrested in a criminal investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and was cleared by the school in their own student conduct investigation in December 2014.

Winston has essentially been a backup since leaving Tampa Bay for New Orleans, although that wasn't always the case. He initially sat behind Drew Brees in his first season with the Saints in 2020 before starting the 2021 season as their starting QB.

After starting the first seven games in 2021, Winston suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear. He returned in 2022 to start the first three games, but back and foot injuries led to him missing time, and he eventually lost the job to Andy Dalton.

Winston backed up Derek Carr this past season, whom the Saints had acquired in an offseason trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. Winston appeared in seven games, including significant action in losses to the Green Bay Packers (10-of-16, 101 yards) and Minnesota Vikings (13-of-25, 122 yards, two TDs, two interceptions).

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns bringing in Jameis Winston as Deshaun Watson's backup