The New Orleans Saints are expected to make Jameis Winston their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the NFL season, according to multiple reports.
Winston beat out fellow Saints quarterback Taysom Hill for the starting job and could reap the benefits of the playing time.
Winston signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Saints but has up to $7 million in incentives. With the move to starter, Winston should be able to get at least $1 million of those incentives right away.
According to Spotrac, Winston can make $1 million if he improves on any of these stats from 2020: playing time, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns.
In 2020, Winston threw for just 75 passing yards on 11 attempts over two games. So, it should be fairly easy for Winston to surpass those numbers against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
Winston will also make $58,823 for each game he is active, adding up to $1 million total for 17 games.
Winston should have other opportunities to hit his incentives. Via Spotrac:
Winston can also make $500,000 for a playoff berth (if he has played 70% of the snaps) and an additional $250,000 for each playoff win.
Free agency in 2020 was something of a shock for Winston, as he was forced to settle for the backup job behind Drew Brees on the Saints. One year later, Winston is on another prove-it deal, albeit one that could revive his career.