Payton: Winston could be Saints' starter once Brees retires

Sean Payton recently picked Taysom Hill over Jameis Winston to command the New Orleans Saints at quarterback, but the head coach believes Winston's time could be coming soon with Drew Brees potentially in his final season.

"One of the attractions for Jameis, and I understand it, was there aren't many places in free agency where you can go to a team and have a pretty good bet that that quarterback like Drew is going to be playing in his last year," Payton told the NFL's "Huddle and Flow" podcast. "That doesn't exist. You go to a team and ... you're going to look for that opportunity to some time be a starter. He's going to have that opportunity the minute Drew leaves, and both he and Taysom know that."

Winston signed a one-year, $1.1-million deal with New Orleans in the offseason. Payton praised the way Winston has handled backup duty and reaffirmed his belief that the Saints' quarterback of the future is already with the team.

"I've been proud of how that room has handled it, Jameis particularly, because he's a competitor and he wants that opportunity," Payton said. " And listen, I feel like, and I said it a week ago, I feel like our next quarterback is in the building."

While some people were shocked by the decision to roll with Hill when Brees was injured, the head coach attributed the decision to a promise he'd made before Winston signed.

"I had basically given Taysom my word in the offseason that - hey, this is long before Jameis even arrived - that he would have that opportunity as the (No.) 2 coming back here," Payton said.

Hill has started four games since Brees was sidelined with 11 fractured ribs, winning three. Payton is pleased with Hill's performance, increasing his confidence that the Saints could potentially have two quality quarterbacks should Brees retire in the near future.

"I believe Taysom is ascending, getting better at this position and I believe there's a certain skill set - they're different players, but I believe our future quarterback sits here, and Jameis definitely is a starter," Payton said. "He's performed exceptionally well."