The Giants finally filled their empty quarterback by signing Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million deal. As of now, Winston will be paired with Tommy Devito. However, recent reports suggest that the Giants are still interested in Russel Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. They could also, of course, turn to drafting a quarterback early in April. Regardless, signing Winston provides the Giants a polarizing veteran option who could very well be the team’s week one starter.
What does Winston bring as a quarterback? Let’s break down the good and the bad from the former first-overall pick.
What Jameis Winston Brings to the New York Giants
The Good:
Aggressiveness & Big-Play Potential
Winston will attempt to attack all levels of the field. While his aggressiveness has a knack for inopportune turnovers, it also results in explosive plays. Among qualified quarterbacks, Winston was ranked 19th in yards per attempt with 7.2 in 2024. For comparison, Daniel Jones averaged 6.5 yards per attempt in the same amount of starts. The willingness to stretch to the field will allow the Giants receivers to accurately develop. In Malik Nabers’ case, the elevated air yards per target could eliminate some of the manufactured targets near the line of scrimmage in 2024. Instead, Winston will help Nabers develop as a down the field threat.
In addition to higher ADOT, Winston also attempted 34 passes of 20 or more air yards in 12 starts. His aggressiveness resulted in a 497 yard performance against the Broncos- which would be the most yards thrown in a game since Eli Manning threw for over 500 yards in 2012.
Every Jameis Winston TD from 2024.
Respect the 🐐
Welcome to the Giants @Jaboowins pic.twitter.com/4c0mQchsDc— awthentik (@awthentik) March 23, 2025
Jameis Winston’s Pass Chart of every full game he played in 2024 pic.twitter.com/UW3FBBbrbX
— Doug Analytics (@Doug_Analytics) March 24, 2025
Experience and Starting Pedigree
The contract suggests that the Giants view Winston as a backup or spot starter. Recent reports also suggest that they’re still interested in other veteran options like Russel Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. However, the former first-overall pick has started 105 games for the Buccaneers, Saints, and Browns. While his play may be volatile, he does bring enough starting experience that suggests he can steady an NFL offense.
In an ideal world, if the Giants are unable to acquire Wilson or Rodgers, Winston starts the first chunk of the 2025 season until a draft pick is ready to take over. By all accounts and recent history, Winston is too volatile to start for an entire season and performs better in small stretches. If he needs to start for the majority of 2025, the Giants could try to wrangle his recklessness with a conservative passing game similar to what Sean Payton did in New Orleans. However, part of Winston’s strengths is his confidence and willingness, so Brian Daboll may not want to do that.
Locker Room & Leadership
Jameis Winston is a passionate and energetic teammate who brings enthusiasm to the locker room. He has a reputation for being supportive, vocal, and willing to mentor younger players, even when serving as a backup. While his on-field decision-making has been inconsistent, his leadership qualities and ability to rally teammates make him a valued presence on any roster.
Jameis Winston ran down the field and made the tackle on the fumble pic.twitter.com/2rRmZNvpNw
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 22, 2024
The Bad:
Turnover Issues
There’s good Jameis and there’s bad Jameis. People are throwing the word “entertaining” around when it comes to watching Jameis Winston play quarterback. It seems like for every explosive play, there’s an equally dramatic turnover that makes fans scratch their heads. For one, Winston has the infamous 30-INT season in 2019. Even after working with Sean Payton, he still has a tendency for risky throws. His 13-12 touchdown-interception ratio alone in 2024 suggests that Winston plays the game with reckless abandon. Beyond that, he led the league with 5.2% turnover-worthy throws and 18 total turnover-worthy plays. For context, that means for every game he starts, he will be responsible for 1.5 turnover-worthy plays.
For the haters.
Every 2024 INT from Giants QB Jameis Winston.
He's still the Greatest QB to ever lace em up. pic.twitter.com/CGOdzgOybI— awthentik (@awthentik) March 23, 2025
Turnovers have been a crutch in Winston’s game for his entire career. There is little evidence that suggests he can improve in that area. According to StatMuse, he’s thrown 111 interceptions in his 105 starts- a little over one interception per game. In addition, he didn’t throw an interception in just 49 of his 105 starts. There is over a 50% chance that Winston throws at least one interception in any game he starts in 2025.
Inconsistency
Many of the interceptions are frustrating to watch, too. It’s exciting to watch a quarterback play fearlessly, but there will be times where Winston forces throws into windows that are either closing, or completely shut by the time he makes a decision. They often happen during inopportune times, too. The word volatile comes to mind when describing Winston’s play style because he’ll have moments of precision during a drive that abruptly end with a game-changing, avoidable turnover. Brian Daboll certainly knows this, but at age 31, is Winston going to adapt at this point in his career?
The willingness to make plays is inarguable, but are the Giants good enough to live with a 1.1-1 touchdown to interception rate?
Overall Impact
The Giants signing Jameis Winston shouldn’t impact their long-term plans. At best, he’s an entertaining backup that can help the offense function at a reasonable level for a short period of time. He won’t come without his missteps and frustrations, but he is certainly a better option than Drew Lock and Tommy Devito were in 2024. His positivity and vocalness will help the locker room and a young quarterback, should they draft one in April.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
