With Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol, the Giants will turn to their third different starting quarterback of the season in Week 11. Jameis Winston will get the nod on Sunday against the Packers, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
After Dart suffered his injury in last week’s loss to the Bears, season-opening starter Russell Wilson replaced him. With the Wilson experiment having gone poorly this year, newly named interim head coach Mike Kafka will try his hand with Winston in his first game replacing the fired Brian Daboll.
Roughly a month before the Giants traded up to draft Dart 25th overall in April, they brought in Wilson and Winston as potential stopgaps in free agency. Wilson inked a one-year, $10.5MM deal, while Winston signed on for two years and $8MM.
Regardless of who grabs the reins as the Giants’ full-time head coach, Wilson is all but assured to leave the team after the season. Considering Winston’s already under contract, he figures to serve as Dart’s backup in 2026. It’s worth noting that a portion of Winston’s salary for next season is already guaranteed.
The Giants used Winston as their emergency third QB until Kafka took over. The battle-tested former No. 1 overall pick is now in line to make the 88th start of his career since he entered the NFL with the Buccaneers in 2015.
Also a former Saint and Brown, Winston most recently saw regular-season action with Cleveland in Week 15 last year. He made seven starts in 12 appearances with the Browns and completed 61.1% of passes for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Browns went 2-5 in Winston’s starts. He and Kafka will hope for better results on Sunday.
Why not he can’t be any worse than Wilson. Can he?
No, he can’t. He’ll throw some ints, but he should’ve been the back up all along. I think Daboll really blew it not bringing Winston in on that 4th and a half yard at the goal line against the Bears. Probably the move that made Schoen say that’s it- He’s gone.
Winston was the Giants’ QB3 for the Chicago game. By rule, Winston couldn’t play unless Dart and Wilson were both injured.
Chuck.. Yes, I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder.. Still, I couldn’t believe he didn’t go for it on the 1/2 yard line.
Honestly, and this may not be popular to say, but Dart shouldn’t have started at all this year with the state of that team. On one hand (and I’m probably the only person to believe this), I believe that Daboll ran a scheme that drew on a lot of Dart’s college strengths, which helped his production. On the other hand, Daboll was definitely using Dart to save his own job and over-exposed him to risk instead of prioritizing his long term development.
Though Daboll would have likely been fired and not have gotten the chance to coach his favored draftee, he should have realized that throwing a young QB into that situation and running him against NFL defenses without a good supporting cast could have hurt him. It wasn’t responsible coaching, and Winston or Wilson (preferably Winston) should have started in the meantime, while Dart observed and the team filled holes to give Dart a better edge when he finally hit the field.
In the same position wouldn’t we all want to save our jobs? People forget coaches are humans too.
I’m fine with Dart playing this year but I am not fine with the designed QB runs and the lack of coaching regarding his scrambles. Dart playing this year was for his development. It was not to have the kid risk his health to gain a couple of extra yards here and there. A designed QB run does nothing for a young quarterback’s development and should only be used if you’re a contending team fighting for the playoffs.
And drilling Dart on sliding, using the sidelines, and avoiding contact is 100% on the coaching staff. If you see him lower his shoulder or truck a defender, you bench him a series or more. This stuff needs to be drilled in practice but it was clear that Daboll was more interested in saving his job than protecting Dart. Also, if he’s being evaluated for a concussion, let him sit the rest of the game. Don’t rush him back out there and immediately call a QB running play.
Exactly. Daboll did everything but say saving his job was a bigger priority than even winning and the moment he entered the blue tent he should have been fired.
Someone has to teach Dart the Mahomes fake slides to pick up 5 or 10 extra yards on a scramble and also how to draw all the flags Mahomes gets for being breathed upon at any time.
No problem here. Daboll abused Dart for his own gains. Running Dart as much as he did was foolish. You could see it when Daboll entered the tent a few weeks ago.
Winston should break out the eat a W pregame speech.
If a team signs Russell Wilson in 2026, they should lose a draft pick. He needs to retire without further harming his legacy.
Sometimes a player is his own worst enemy, they just cannot grasp that they should of retire 3 or 4 years ago. Wilson best days were in Seattle, they seen his talents starting to go downhill. Denver was desperate for a QB after the short Peyton Manning era, even Manning knew when it was time to call it a career. Playing one season in Pittsburgh now he is with the NY Giants sitting 3rd string, just walk away Wilson you are embarrassing yourself. Usually when you’re a SBowl winning QB you’re almost a shoe in for the HOF, but the way Wilson is going he is playing his way of not making the HOF.
Can someone tell that to Aaron Rogers? He looks more feeble every week he’s on the field.
The problem is Russell Wilson himself..He thinks it’s his God given right to be a starting qb.
What gives you that impression? Has Wilson ever insinuated as much? I think that’s a load of nonsense. People offer him starting jobs, why wouldn’t he take them?
I think he’d have to pay a team to sign him at this point.
7 TDs 0 interceptions and a 123.3 passer rating against the Packers make the decision to start Winston rather easy.
I can’t wait for the post game interview with Jameis if Giants win.
The Giants are playing for entertainment value at this point – thus why not maximize that entertainment?
This week’s Giants game vs. Green Bay was going to get Fox’s top broadcast team … until the big blue collapse in Chicago.
A team that doesn’t even bother with cheerleaders is playing for entertainment value? Did I get that right?
As a Giants fan, if they had started Wilson, there was no reason to watch. At least with Winston, there’s a chance the game will be entertaining. Wilson was more interested in protecting himself than he was in standing in the pocket and throwing it.
I can’t understand why a QB who has been sacked more than 500 times would suddenly want to protect himself 🙂
I can’t wait for a 5td 5 int game. Honestly. Air it famous
So many fans were hoping to see Famous air it out to Nabers early and often this year and just let Nabers go be an athlete and make plays. It’s sad that Famous finally gets to play and Nabers is injured, as well as half the RB’s on the team.
Yea definitely. Maybe it forces them to use Slayton the right way, instead of mid to. Short routes just send him deep, and at this point we may as well be doing the same with Hyatt – he’s barely played put him in a position to succeed, if he can only do one thing that’s all he should be doing. Check downs to Tracy, robinson, and the TE’s and send those two on deep routes. Bombs away.
Wilson already has 3 strikes in a row (Denver, Pittsburgh and NY Giants). What more proof the GMs need to realize Wilson has hit the bottom?
He hasn’t yet gone to the Browns. That will happen this offseason.
This should be fun, I’ll call it now Winston stats 29/47 3 td 2int Giants win 34-31
I personally would have loved to see Winston traded to the Bengals when Browning blew up. Probably will never get the opportunity to see a QB throw for 700 yards in a game ever again. Winston, Chase and Higgins would have been a sight to see. Bengals lose 76-75, but have 800 yards of offense. 😂😂
I would have thought there would be a Madden version for guys like you 🙂
The combination of Winston’s arm and those two receivers would have resulted in numbers beyond belief. Watched him throw 70 yards in practice many times without straining. The arm is still there and with two receivers of that caliber the numbers who have been crazy. Didn’t Flacco throw for 470 or something ridiculous a week or two ago?
I think Wilson is cooked, he hasn’t made good decisions on the field and looks slow when he moves.
Must be his legs don’t have enough energy likely due to having a hot wifey and living life in the big city!
He looks scared in the pocket, idk if he’s cooked, they had him dinking and dunking. The one game he aired it out, he was pretty good.
What I will say is – it looks like the game has gotten to fast for him. He can’t keep up anymore.
Winston will make it fun at least. 4 or 5 mega bombs down the field that Hyatt will sprint down the field and almost catch. 350 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT.
The crab man cometh!