After starting the past two seasons as the New Orleans Saints’ No. 1 quarterback, Jameis Winston was given a choice by the NFL team for the 2023 campaign – sign a new contract at a reduced salary or get released and try free agency.

The former Hueytown High School football and baseball star has chosen the former.

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Originally scheduled to be paid $12.8 million for the 2023 season under a contract signed last offseason, Winston will stay with the Saints on a one-year deal, which NFL Network reported was worth a maximum of $8 million.

New Orleans introduced Derek Carr as its new starting quarterback last week. Released by Las Vegas after nine seasons as the Raiders’ QB, Carr signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints.

Winston was scheduled to count $15.6 million against the New Orleans salary cap in the 2023 season — too much for an NFL team to devote to a backup quarterback. But even if the Saints released Winston, he still would count $11.2 million against the salary cap.

Now New Orleans will take less of a cap hit from Winston, and he’ll actually be on the team.

Before a knee injury caused him to the miss the final 10 games in 2021, Winston had led the Saints to a 5-2 record and thrown 14 touchdown passes and three interceptions. New Orleans went 4-6 after Winston went down, and three other quarterbacks had 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions for the Saints in 2021.

After striking out in its pursuit of quarterback Deshaun Watson last offseason, New Orleans signed Winston to a two-year, $28 million contract.

In 2022, Winston started the first three games, but he battled through back and ankle injuries to play in the final two. Finally forced out of the lineup, Winston missed three games before returning to uniform. But for the final 11 games of the 2022 campaign, Winston served as Andy Dalton’s backup without playing.

Dalton was playing on a one-year contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday.

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A two-time All-State selection at Hueytown, Winston was the Class 5A Back of the Year and a Parade and Under Armour All-American in 2011.

At Florida State, Winston won the Heisman Trophy in 2013, when the Seminoles captured the BCS national championship with an undefeated record.

The No. 1 selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston spent five seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting QB. But after Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards and 30 interceptions, the Bucs switched to Tom Brady, and Winston wound up backing up Drew Brees with the Saints in 2020 before winning a competition with Taysom Hill for the starting spot in 2021 after Brees retired.

In 86 NFL regular-season games, Winston has completed 1,738-of-2,835 passes for 21,840 yards with 139 touchdowns and 96 interceptions and run for 1,220 yards and 11 touchdowns on 293 carries.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.