The New Orleans Saints have interest in retaining Jameis Winston at quarterback following the retirement of Drew Brees.

"We had a great exposure for one year with Jameis Winston. We didn't have a normal offseason, but we had enough time to see what we had with him as a player, as a leader, as an athlete. I really like what we had a chance to see," Payton said Wednesday.

"He was a tremendous leader for this team, and that's hard to do when you come in new in free agency your first year as a backup quarterback. So, that'll be an important check mark for us.

"A lot of times you want to hold your cards closer to the vest, and he is a free agent, but him, along with Taysom Hill ... we've said it all along, we're gonna develop and coach those guys. Jameis is one of those guys that we have a big interest in."

Winston signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Saints last offseason.