The New York Giants came into the offseason knowing their quarterback room was a puzzle. A little veteran insurance, a rookie gamble, and one or two holdovers to round things out. And the way things are trending through two preseason games, that puzzle is starting to put itself together. Jaxson Dart looks like the future, Russell Wilson is holding down the right now, and Tommy DeVito is doing more than enough to warrant serious consideration for the QB3 spot.
That leaves Jameis Winston sitting in a strange space... not as an afterthought, but as a piece that doesn’t quite fit anymore. He’s looked good, been the locker room voice you’d expect, and helped stabilize the culture. But with three other guys either playing too well or holding too much value to move on from, Winston might find himself on the outside looking in.
Related: It took one throw for Giants quarterback to get pulled into trade chatter
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan seems to think that’s already where things are headed. In a list of NFL trade candidates, Sullivan floated Winston as a name to watch... not just as a cut, but as a potential veteran target for a team with more a smidge more uncertainty under center.
Giants' QB depth might force Jameis Winston into trade talks with unexpected team
The 31-year-old’s name has been tied to the New Orleans Saints plenty this offseason, which makes Sullivan’s suggestion of the Minnesota Vikings being a potential landing spot for Famous Jameis all the more surprising:
"Winston was initially brought in by the New York Giants to serve as the top backup toRussell Wilson. However, that was until the club drafted Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 25th overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft. While the plan remains for Wilson to be the Giants' Week 1 starter, Dart has crashed the party in the QB room with a sensational preseason. Along with bringing up questions regarding if/when Dart should see the field in 2025, it may also make a veteran like Winston expendable. If so, the Vikings make some sense as a possible destination."
Minnesota just handed the offense over to J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury. He’s their guy moving forward, but they’re awfully thin behind him. Sam Howell is the current backup, but he’s struggled in camp and hasn’t shown much in preseason.
The rest of Minnesota's options are even less inspiring. Adding someone like Winston, who’s started 87 NFL games and still has juice, might be their best contingency plan if things go south. It makes sense, but it's still a very unexpected trade destination.
From the Giants’ perspective, the math isn’t mathing. There are four roster-worthy quarterbacks on the roster for three presumed spots. By default, someone is bound to be left behind. And by sheer return on investment alone, it might make the most sense to deal New York's locker room darling.
This isn’t exactly about who deserves to stay. It’s really about who makes sense to move. And if a team like the Vikings picks up the phone, it’s at least worth a conversation for Joe Schoen.
Winston’s been everything the G-Men could’ve hoped for when they signed him. He’s lightened the room, mentored Dart, made people laugh, and he's been electric on the field. But when teams have four quarterbacks and only three jobs, someone’s making like a lemon and getting squeezed. If a trade’s coming, the Vikings might just be the surprise team that sneaky makes the most sense.