Report after report has indicated that quarterback-needy teams are calling the New York Giants about trading for Jameis Winston.
The New Orleans Saints have just second-year man Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough. The Detroit Lions might need a backup. There are concerns about the health of Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams. Giants fans watched the New York Jets play on Saturday night, and the Jets’ quarterback situation looks miserable. The Tennessee Titans might want a backup and mentor
for Cam Ward. Shoot, the Cleveland Browns need more quarterbacks.
Should the Giants be listening to those phone calls? Well, of course they should. The better question is should they be seriously considering moving on from Winston, the 2015 No. 1 overall pick?
The answer depends on how they truly feel about Jaxson Dart, the 25th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. And, to a lesser extent, Tommy DeVito.
The plan has been and still is for Russell Wilson to be the starting quarterback. The expectation has been that Winston, with 105 games and 87 starts worth of NFL experience, would be the No. 2 quarterback. At least in the beginning of the season, while Dart focused on learning his craft without the pressure that would come with having to play in games that mattered.
Has Dart’s excellent summer upset that plan? Dart has worked almost exclusively in practice with the second team over the past two to three weeks, while Winston has been with the third team.
The belief has been that alignment was to get Dart the most reps possible, with Winston’s experience being able to counter any loss of reps once the season began.
Dart has been good enough in two preseason games that the Giants have to at least consider naming him the backup quarterback. Do they trust him, though, to not only be able to play if something happens to Wilson, but to win? There is a difference, and Dart can’t be No. 2 unless the organization believes he can do the latter.
Why does how the Giants feel about DeVito matter?
It matters because Dart will eventually be the starting quarterback. If that does not happen at some point this season, there is a strong chance Dart will be the starter Week 1 of the 2026 season.
The Giants will need a quality, veteran backup. That almost certainly won’t be Wilson. It does not seem to be the type of assignment Wilson would be willing to accept. It seems hard to see Wilson morphing into a Joe Flacco-type quarterback who goes from team to team as a backup, occasionally finding himself starting games, to extend his career.
Do the Giants believe DeVito can fill that No. 2 quarterback role and, as mentioned about Dart, not just play but win games?
DeVito did have the glorious and exciting three-game stretch of DeVito-mania in 2023. In reality, though, DeVito has a 3-5 record as a starter. He has ONE 200-yard passing game in eight career starts. The Giants scored just 32 points (10.6 per game) in his three starts last year. The only DeVito start since that three-game winning streak in which they scored at least 20 points was a 2023 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in which DeVito was pulled at halftime for Tyrod Taylor with the Giants trailing, 20-3.
If the Giants assess DeVito without emotion, can they really conclude they can and should expect to win games with him at quarterback?
The Giants own behavior the last two seasons, signing Drew Lock last season and Winston this season, tells us we may already know the answer.
They know they can win games with Winston. Yes, he is perhaps the most erratic quarterback in recent memory. The upside when he is on is terrific. You don’t throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season, as Winston did in 2019, without tremendous ability. Of course, Winston created his own exclusive “30-30” club that year by throwing 30 interceptions, becoming the only quarterback in NFL history to have at least 30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in the same season. Winston, though, has 36 regular-season wins (and 51 losses) as a starting quarterback.
Winston has a two-year, $8 million contract. He was signed with the idea he would be a Giant for both of those seasons. At just $4 million annually, there is no financial incentive to trade him.
Even if the Giants answer the Dart and DeVito questions affirmatively, there is the matter of price. Good backup quarterbacks are a valuable asset. Teams don’t just give them away. You would have to believe GM Joe Schoen would need an offer for Winston he felt was simply too good to pass up to make Winston an ex-Giant.
What should the Giants do? Vote in the poll below and let us know what you think.
