The New York Giants finally signed a veteran quarterback on Friday evening (March 21), agreeing to terms with the gunslinger known for “eating W’s” — former 2015 No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston.
True to form, the charismatic signal-caller had the perfect message ready to go for NYG fans once his contract terms were announced.
“Start spreading the neWs 🍎,” Winston posted on X, capturing two key themes in one well-timed statement.
The apple emoji and the Frank Sinatra verse from the song, “New York, New York,” obviously representing his destination, with the capital “W” representing his personal identity and brand. And it doesn’t hurt that Winston hopes to bring some “W’s” to the Giants organization as well.
Winston carries a 36-51 record throughout the course of his professional career, passing for over 24,000 yards. He’s thrown 155 career touchdown passes but has also earned a bad reputation for turning the ball over way too much — with 111 interceptions and 60 fumbles.
Winston has only appeared in a playoff outing once, with the New Orleans Saints, completing his lone passing attempt for a 56-yard touchdown. He began his career as a five-year starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Saints for four seasons as a backup and fill-in starter.
The former first rounder spent the 2024 campaign with the Cleveland Browns and started 7 games due to injury. Winston was eventually benched after a brief run of success in Cleveland.
Ex-Saints Star Calls New Giants QB Jameis Winston the ‘Ultimate Teammate’
Winston may have a reputation for turning the ball over around the league, but he also has a reputation for being a tremendous teammate.
Fans got to see a little bit of that on the 2024 in-season edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” which focused on the AFC North, but Saints star defensive end Cameron Jordan also spoke on the subject recently while chatting with New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard on March 19.
“I liked to consider myself the ultimate teammate until I met Jameis Winston,” Jordan said, via Leonard and the New York Daily News. “Now I’m just a really good teammate. You got Jameis who only sees positive uplifting. You could be losing, winning, it’s still the same Jameis. Even-keeled.”
“You can win with consistency,” the Saints star went on. “And he’s gonna consistently uplift his teammates. You can bet on that. That’s just something that’s in him. You don’t teach that.”
At the very least, Winston is thought to be a backup/bridge quarterback that could help an incoming rookie, let’s say the Giants draft a signal-caller as expected.
That player could be Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart. Maybe even Cam Ward or Jalen Milroe, among others. But whoever it is, Winston will be right there with them, uplifting as ever, helping them along their journey.
“The one thing I kept hearing over the past two weeks is that Jameis Winston was a better fit than Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson if you were looking for a veteran bridge QB to work well with a rookie quarterback,” NorthJersey.com reporter Art Stapleton said after the news.
NFL insider Josina Anderson argued a similar point earlier this week on March 17.
Giants Reporters Not Buying Aaron Rodgers Rumors, Expect NYG to Draft Third Quarterback
The Giants have two QBs under contract after the Winston deal, with Tommy DeVito being the second. The third is expected to come in the draft, despite rumors that Rodgers is still in play.
“Certainly leaves Giants targeting a draft QB,” New York Post beat reporter Ryan Dunleavy reacted on X. “Consider me a skeptic that they are still in for Aaron Rodgers or Russ [Wilson].”
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan wasn’t buying Rodgers rumors either, stating: “This is all window dressing. Rodgers, Russ, Jameis, all that matters for the Giants’ future is that they get the right quarterback in the draft.”
And finally, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan replied: “There’s no way the plan [Joe] Schoen and [Brian] Daboll presented to [John] Mara before the finale centered around a QB with a 36-51 career record and 19 TD/20 INT the past three seasons. The truth is it didn’t matter which veteran QB the Giants signed this offseason. Finding the QB of the future was always the No. 1 priority. The focus shifts to that now.”
As the calendar turns the page to March 22, Giants nation turns their attention to the draft.
