CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Cleveland Browns officially have four quarterbacks on their active roster.
Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley signed their contracts Wednesday.
Both signed one-year deals with Winston getting a $4 million base salary with incentives and Huntley the league minimum.
“This opportunity really stood out because of, one, the great organization that it is, two, the incredible fan base and incredible people that this city possesses, and three, just the opportunity to remain grateful and to build and influence others around me,” Winston said via a Zoom video conference.
Winston is expected to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Deshaun Watson.
“I just admire him as a person and definitely as a football player,” Winston said. “I look forward to allowing him to lean on me for anything that he needs and also encouraging him and providing him with different resources that he probably hasn’t gotten for people that have been in the same room as him, whether that’s film studies, film tendencies, whether that’s cooperating with the receiver room, cooperating with the running backs, just serving him and this team, the best way that I can.
“I know it is not only a passion of mine to lead and to impact those around me, but I feel like it’s a privilege when I’m provided with an opportunity. I tend not to look ahead of me and tend to look behind me. I tend to focus on the now. So, I’m so excited to work with this young man and allow him, help him be what he is capable of being, and that’s being one of the best quarterbacks in this league.”
Winston, a former No. 1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015, has spent the past four seasons in New Orleans, primarily as a backup quarterback for the Saints where he appeared in 21 games with 10 starts.
For his career Winston has started 80 of the 93 games he has appeared in completing 61.2% of his passes for 22,104 yards with 141 touchdowns and 99 interceptions.
“One of the biggest things that I’m bringing to Deshaun is just really support and encouragement because he has achieved so much, and that’s why he is this organization’s franchise quarterback,” Winston said. “But as a lot of us know, we all make this ship go. So every role, the role that you guys played, the role that I played, the role that the radio guys play, the coaches play – we’re all in this together. So the more that we can be focused on the same goal and mission, and right now, really, every team’s mission should be at the beginning of the year, is to win football games and win the Super Bowl right now. So, I think that is our main focus. And long as we got that same eye-to-eye determination to go bring this city what it deserves, I know we’re going to be great, and I know we’re going to bond well.”
Originally signed by Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Huntley has appeared in 20 career games with nine starts where he has completed 221 of 342 passes (64.6 percent) for 1,957 yards with eight touchdowns. He has added 509 career rushing yards with three scores.
Huntley was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022. Last season, he appeared in five games with one start for the Ravens.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick, is also still with the team and is recovering from a season-ending hip injury.
