QB Winston Joining Giants

He is doing it his way.

The New York Giants and quarterback Jameis Winston agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Friday night.

Winston, 31 years-of-age, joins New Jersey native Tommy DeVito as the only quarterbacks on the Giants’ roster. New York has been high profiling in the free agent market for a veteran, with Super Bowl winners Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco also mentioned as possible targets.

The individual spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce the deal. Fox Sports initially reported that Winston was joining the Giants, adding that the deal could be for as much as $16 million with incentives.

“Start spreading the neWs,” Winston wrote on social media, a play on his infamous “Eat a W” pregame speech with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. He added an apple emoji while appearing to confirm his Big Apple welcome.

The Giants quarterback situation has been drama-filled this offseason, with the only move at the position since free agency got underway ten days ago being the re-signing of DeVito. The team had interest in the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, who was granted permission to explore trade options but later agreed to a restructured contract with Los Angeles.

The Giants then appeared to be waiting on the 41-year-old, four-time MVP Rodgers, who spent the last two seasons with the Jets but was officially released on March 13.

Rodgers, who has not publicly said he will play a 21st NFL season, met with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, signaling an interest on both sides. He spent several hours in the team’s facility gathering information but left without signing a contract.

Wilson, who spent last season in Pittsburgh, also remains a free agent and his next move could depend on what Rodgers decides.

The Giants continued to explore their options and reportedly recently met with Winston, Wilson and Flacco. They now have their veteran in Winston to pair with DeVito and hold the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft in April. So, a top quarterback such as Miami Hurricanes Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are not out of the question for the Giants.

Winston played in 12 games last season for the Cleveland Browns and started in seven after Deshaun Watson was injured, throwing for 2,121 yards and 13 touchdowns with 12 picks. He set a Browns record with 497 yards passing in Week 13 with four touchdowns against the Denver Broncos but also had three interceptions, two of which were returned to the house in Cleveland’s 41-32 loss.
He spent the previous four seasons in the ‘Big Easy’ with the New Orleans Saints, primarily as a backup.

Winston was the No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2015 draft out of Florida State University. He got off to a solid start to his NFL career, finishing second in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Rams running back Todd Gurley, and surpassed 4,000 yards passing in each of his first two seasons. But he also struggled with his consistency and turnovers in critical moments, which became an issue.

Winston threw for a league-leading 5,109 yards and had 33 touchdowns in 2019 but also led the NFL with a career-worst 30 interceptions in his last season as the Buccaneers’ starter. He signed with the Saints in 2020 to be Drew Brees’ backup and then re-signed the following offseason the day after Brees announced his retirement.

He started seven games in 2021 before a torn ACL cut his season short. A back injury, where he injured four vertebrae, limited him the following season as he became the backup to Andy Dalton. Winston again re-signed with the Saints in 2023, serving as Derek Carr’s backup.

Winston has passed for 24,225 yards and 154 touchdowns with 111 interceptions in 10 NFL seasons.