The Cleveland Browns agreed to sign free agent quarterback Jameis Winston on a deal that becomes official on Wednesday, according to The Athletic. Winston, who spent the last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, will primarily serve as Deshaun Watson’s backup in 2024 on a team with postseason potential.
Before his time in the NFL, the former No. 1 overall pick shined as a dual-sport, Heisman winner at Florida State. From 2013-14 on the gridiron, Winston completed 66.0% of his passes for 7,964 yards, throwing 65 touchdowns to 28 interceptions. He led the Seminoles to a 2013 BCS National Championship victory and an appearance in the inaugural College Football Playoff the following season, where Florida State lost to Oregon.
A former four-star recruit out of Hueytown (Ala.) High, Winston was the No. 26 player and No. 1 dual-threat quarterback from the Class of 2012. He was also the No. 3 player in Alabama. Winston was rated a five-star prospect by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 16 player nationally in those rankings as well as the top dual-threat quarterback and player from Alabama.
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Florida State honored Winston last season during a jersey retirement in Tallahassee. A redshirt freshman in 2013, Winston led Florida State to a 14-0 record and the 2013 National Championship with a win over Auburn in the Rose Bowl. In the process, Winston became the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy. In addition, Winston won the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award and Walter Camp’s Player of the Year honors.
The following year, Winston led the ‘Noles to another perfect regular season before falling to Oregon in the semifinal round of the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Winston’s Seminoles were one of college football’s most spotlighted teams last fall after becoming the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be excluded from the College Football Playoff. Many of the players decided to skip the postseason as a result. At final count, FSU suffered more than two-dozen opt-outs for the Orange Bowl, including a couple additional defensive starters who took their pads off ahead of kickoff.
FSU’s Mike Norvell, last season’s winner of the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year, said before the game many of his players made “tough” decisions and he was grateful for their contributions this year.
