The Giants have secured a quarterback option for the 2025 NFL season. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, the team is finalizing a deal with veteran quarterback Jameis Winston. The contract is for two years and $8MM, though it could be worth up to $16MM with incentives. 
Ever since New York waived long-time quarterback Daniel Jones midseason, it’s been clear that their quarterback future was up in the air. The team finished out the season with Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito behind center, going 1-6 down the stretch with their backups. With Lock’s contract expiring, DeVito was the only passer remaining on the roster, limiting the Giants options moving forward.
Coming into the offseason, the two options were clear: acquire a veteran quarterback via trade or free agency or use the No. 3 overall pick to select a quarterback for the future. New York threw their name in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes, but while they’ve waited for his decision, the Giants have hosted the likes of Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, and Winston. While it seems that signing Winston should take them out of the running for Rodgers, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network posits that Winston’s presence just gives them a few more options.
The former No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 NFL Draft has slowly seen a demotion in his NFL career, going from a full-time starter in Tampa Bay to part-time starting roles in New Orleans and Cleveland. During a five-year stint to start his career with the Buccaneers, Winston had started most every game that he was available, aside from a short period in 2018 as he served a suspension for allegedly groping a female Uber driver and had to win his job back from Ryan Fitzpatrick.
In 2020, he signed with the Saints as a backup to Drew Brees but took over the starting job the next year, before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. The following two years saw him serve in New Orleans as a backup to Andy Dalton and Derek Carr. This past season, he signed on with the Browns to serve as a backup to Deshaun Watson, ultimately finding himself in the starting lineup once again when Watson was ruled out for the season with an Achilles tendon tear. Winston expressed interest in returning to Cleveland while staying open to conversations for backup jobs with the 49ers and Chargers.
Winston provides the Giants with an upgraded backup over DeVito with the potential to start and win some games if needed. Last year, what Winston did with the Browns was the perfect example of what Winston offers to the roster, basically ensuring that, even if the Giants miss out on Rodgers, Wilson, or their preferred draft pick, New York will have a player who can start throughout the season, if necessary.
While Winston could easily serve as a dependable backup behind Rodgers or Wilson, Winston sets up better as a potential bridge quarterback for a team drafting a rookie, much like we saw with Sam Darnold in Minnesota last year. Whether New York moves up to draft a passer or allows a prospect to fall to them at No. 3 overall, Winston could serve as a starter until the rookie is ready to take over, allowing the Giants to not rush their quarterback of the future onto the field before he’s ready.
Whatever their future plans, signing Winston certainly provides the Giants with more options. Whether they still aim to bring in a veteran like Rodgers or Wilson or a rookie like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, rostering Winston gives them plenty of flexibility in exacting their plans for the future.
Best option….will be a win/lose QB that will generate excitement and cries of failure….frees up the draft to get the best player with #3 and #34……starters both….good going G-Men…..
No it doesn’t! This screams qb with their first pick. Winston is nothing more than a bridge qb for your rookie qb to implement himself. Won’t be Ward but it’s either Sanders or Dart. Anything other than a qb with their first pick is just utter embarrassment
If Ward isnt there picking a QB with your 1st Rd pick is whats embarrassing lol
A QB with the #3 other than maybe Ward would be an utter embarrassment if Hunter or Carter is available. You don’t draft Sanders or Dart at 3 without at least trading back.
Ya I got them taking Hunter , then trading up to unite Sanders with Hunter
Pick 34 + a likely great pick in 2026 is a hefty return
Saints at 9 seem like a team who would like to push some r1 salary down the road , while potentially having 2 top-10 picks in 2026
Giants
R1:3 Hunter
R1:9 Sanders
Land a “Franchise” QB and his buddy
Saints
Trade R1:9 for R2:34 and R1 2026
Still will have 2 very high R2’s
And 2 very high R1’s in 2026
.. this all assumes the Browns and Raiders pass on Sanders (which I think is likely)
Utter embarrassment? That sounds like the work of GM Joe (Over His Head) Schoen.
30 and 30 if he doesn’t break his head behind a woeful offensive line and a single weapon on offense gets you a number 1 in 2026.
That’s a good deal
Another 30/30 year?
Well take 30 TD’s regardless of the potential for 30 picks…..should lead to 8 wins…..allowing them to build a team roster….good going.
lmao.
Giants ain’t getting 8 wins cos they’re in NFC East where they have that round-robin with Dallas, Philly, Skins. Come autumn Giants have to face NFC North and AFC West as well.
8 wins is a possibility even though their schedule is amongst, if not the toughest in football this year…..Dallas isn’t Dallas any longer and the Giants need to play a solid game to win, which with QB play from Jaboo they can….and before we anoint the Skins atop the division, lets see their QB do it again when teams know how to scheme against his bests traits…..agreed that 8 wins will be tough, but but doable…..
Giants still have that “Coach of the Year” who can’t beat Dallas or Philly.
Gotta love Jameis and his 30/30 stats.
He’ll make it very interesting for sure…..
Makes sense
I hope the Giants called Aaron and told him his services were no longer needed.
Doesn’t keep them out of the Rodgers race either though based on this contract.
Really hoping Rodgers choosing retirement over the Steelers.
I’m at a loss to read that there was some feeling he wanted the Steelers offer to be “sweetened”
Where does it end? The guy is 42
I like the signing. Good value. I just wonder with the money they saved (instead of Rodgers or Wilson) they should have signed Jenkins for the offensive line.
They should have signed Moses at the beginning of FA.
Jenkins is solid but has never been able to stay on the field.
Now we’re cooking with grease. I would imagine this ensures that they also draft a QB.
I selfishly want him to retire already so we can have some funny commentary or sideline reporting. He’d probably make more doing that anyways
I don’t think Aaron will be a football commentator when he hangs up the cleats. He’s said in the past he’s not interested.
Go away troll
Sad state when we’re going buck for Winston, but I’m cool with. Pumped to have a quarterback who isn’t afraid to take shots.
“Pumped to have a quarterback who isn’t afraid to take shots.”
This is the key point. Hopefully they draft Hunter and use him alongside Malik. We might win five games but at least we’ll get to have a little fun.
Mike Valenti is going to go crazy!!!
Make sense.
Still can go for Rogers. (Although I don’t want him.lol)
Can draft QB or best available at # 3
Nice experiment project Brian Daboll.( imagine if he can fix him)
Dude wants to be Giant! (Means a lot to me Lol)
IMO. Take Hunter or Carter at #3 and hopefully try to trade back in the first round for Dart QB. Don’t like Winston maybe trying to tank next year for Manning.
Agree on the first part.
On the second part it’s all garbage picking anyway.
If I’m Daboil give me the hungry guy that wants to be on the team with incentive that might listen to my plan. Rather than the 2 over the hill stars who are clearly looking for one last money grab. And probably aren’t going to listen.
Mustang – Hopefully he’s not TOO hungry given his history with king crab legs
Nobody can fix Jameis because Jameis thinks there’s nothing wrong with him as a QB.
Well, at least things will be interesting with Jameis! Lets do it haha.
If he throws 30 picks, you can blame half of them on the wind.
Blaming the AC in domed stadiums might be a bit harder 🙂
Congrats to the Giants on having back to back top 3 picks.
Watching Winston play, you can see defensive CBs chomping at the bits to jump routes and pick him off. He has the arm and mobility to make plays, but can’t be trusted to sustain long drives knowing he can get picked. If you were on his team, you’d be as frustrated as Miles Garret was last year.
The Browns had lots more problems last year than just Winston and Miles was basically unhappy with play until he got his pay which was his play all along…..yes Jaboo will throw picks but he also can really throw the long ball which is what Nabors is lusting for…..should be interesting….
The difference is as a CB/S you expect to break up a pass play if the ball is thrown your way. With Winston, you expect to get an INT. Big motivation for defenders to play better. Watching Winston’s red zone picks was demoralizing, even for me sitting on my couch in my boxer shorts with a glass of scotch and a cigar. Imagine what it does for Winston’s teammates.
This has to either mean drafting a QB or tanking to get the top pick in 2026.
No way New York has a winning record with Jameis at the helm.
So tanking would mean that the Maras and Tisch’s have basically given Daboll and Schoen a 2 + year window to turn the franchise around which most of us don’t think holds much water given the demonstrations in and over the stadium where the Giants play and what we’ve read in the media…..if they fail this year…their out…..drafting a QB….without improving the overall roster means they pick again within the top 5-6 picks in the 26 draft and sacrifice one of Graham, Carter, or Hunter to get Sanders assuming that the Titans take Ward…..man of us are in favor of a much more competitive team with Winston at the helm, and Schoen using picks 3 and 34 to get one of the two mentioned above and add another starter….hopefully on defense and showing that improved QB play can improve on their record which should net them 7-8 wins….this probably buys these two another year at least from management so we’ve have to see what 26 holds as far as QB choices (Manning) ….of course they also need a kicker who can make 50+ yd field goals much like almost every kicker in the league who isn’t what closing in on 40…lol