The New York Giants’ quarterback search has officially entered its Jameis Winston era. And sure, maybe that’s not the most inspiring sentence ever written, but at least we can say this—things are about to get a whole lot more electric.
According to sources, Winston is in East Rutherford today and will continue his visit into Tuesday. No word on whether he packed pajamas, but given how desperate the Giants are for a quarterback, they might as well have rolled out the sleeping bag for him. After missing out on Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields, and Sam Darnold, and with Aaron Rodgers holding them hostage, they’re now looking at Winston as yet another potential fallback plan.
First things first. Winston isn’t the long-term solution, and making him QB1 would be a disaster. But as a short-term bridge? A locker-room spark plug? A guy who can push the ball downfield and bring some chaos to an otherwise lifeless offense? That’s something.
Giants will host Jameis Winston for two day visit to address QB concerns
Winston's visit is long overdue. During Super Bowl LIX's media week, Winston was caught in a funny interaction with former Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Winston asked Barkley who should sign him in free agency:
"I'm a free agent, I don't really got no job. Who's gonna sign me in free agency?" Winston asked.
Barkley responded with, "I think New York needs a quarterback right now."
The hilarious moment between the two went viral, but it was more than a funny interaction. Apparently, it drummed up legitimate feelings in Winston, as he told NJ Advance Media later, “Would I really sign with the Giants? Absolutely! I want to keep playing and do what I do best.”
Sounds like Winston's been looking forward to a potential meeting with Big Blue for a while now.
He's even been caught using a Freudian slip when referring to the Giants as "we" when discussing head coach Brian Daboll and the offense:
“I have a ton of respect for coach Brian Daboll, the things he does offensively,” Winston said. “I think we have a young— woah! They have a young roster. But they have a young roster that’s ready to win. They’re ready to bounce back. I know they’re hungry over there.”
Is Winston really the answer to the Giants' prayers? Probably not. But is he a competitor who builds up locker rooms and is competent enough to start a few games? Absolutely.
Over the course of his 10-year career, Winston has played in 105 games, starting 87 (36-51 record), with 24,225 passing yards, 154 touchdowns, 111 interceptions, while completing 61.2 percent of his passes. That's not bad at all for a stopgap quarterback.
With each day passing, the G-Men inch closer to having no plan at the quarterback position. Bringing in Winston on a visit makes a lot of sense. He isn’t fixing the Giants’ quarterback mess, but at this point, he might be their best shot at making the season watchable. If nothing else, the Giants would be good for a few “Did Jameis really just do that?” moments every Sunday.
That unpredictability could make him a fun short-term bridge, but let’s be clear—this is not the ideal outcome for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll.