Saints' Winston can't wait for 1st start vs. Bucs: 'Want to beat 'em bad'
Jameis Winston has special feelings for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the New Orleans Saints quarterback will treat his former team just like any other club when they line up against each other Sunday.
"Obviously, I want to beat 'em, I want to beat 'em bad," Winston said Thursday, according to The Athletic's Katherine Terrell. "And in my heart, I'm ready to rock. But at the end of the day, they're another opponent, another opponent that we got to beat that's in this division."
Tampa Bay drafted Winston first overall in 2015, and he started 70 games for the team over five years. The club opted not to re-sign him after a 2019 campaign in which he became the first quarterback ever to toss 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. The Buccaneers added Tom Brady in free agency that offseason.
The 27-year-old then agreed to join the Saints as a backup for a fresh start to his career.
"Everything happens for a reason, and I'm very grateful for that organization and the Glazer family for giving me the opportunity to be drafted No. 1 overall to that city," Winston said. "(Tampa) has done a lot for me, and I know I've done a lot for that city ... I definitely love that city, and now we get to play them. So this week, it's time to play. All the lovey-dovey stuff is behind."
Winston, who sat behind Drew Brees and Taysom Hill on the depth chart in 2020, watched the Saints win the NFC South and sweep their regular-season series against the Buccaneers last year. However, Tampa Bay went on to defeat New Orleans in the postseason en route to winning the Super Bowl.
"That was tough," Winston said of last season's playoff loss, according to Rick Stroud of Tampa Bay Times. "That was my first time in the playoffs, so I definitely wanted to win that one. It was fun. But this is this year, and we get them twice and maybe three times this year, so let's start with this one."
The 4-2 Saints currently sit second in the NFC South behind the 6-1 Buccaneers.