The New York Giants have added a quarterback, but it’s not the one folks may have been expecting. The club has agreed to a two-year deal with veteran signal-caller Jameis Winston, according to NFL Media. The deal is worth $8 million. Winston himself even confirmed the signing on social media.
Of course, the immediate question in the aftermath of this signing is whether it has any impact on a possible pursuit of Aaron Rodgers, who is off the heels of visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday. Along with Pittsburgh, the Giants have been one of the top teams linked to Rodgers as a potential suitors and the timing of this signing (the same day as Rodgers’ visit with the Steelers) is notable.
However, as NFL Media notes, the addition of Winston will not preclude the organization from pursuing other quarterbacks either via free agency (like Rodgers) or the NFL Draft (Shedeur Sanders) with the third overall pick. If the club did decided (and was able) to draft at quarterback in the first round, Winston could, in theory, serves as a bridge quarterback to begin the year, and could hand over the reins whenever that prospect (likely Sanders) is ready to ascend.
The Giants have been in the market for a veteran quarterback throughout the offseason. While Winston gives them added experience at the position, it doesn’t come with the same ceiling as their other pursuits like Matthew Stafford (who decided to stay with the Los Angeles Rams) and Rodgers (who remains a free agent).
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Bryan DeArdo
Given the nature of Winston’s contract (worth just a reported $8 million total), that would appear to position him as a backup/depth piece on the roster. Before this signing, the lone quarterback on New York’s depth chart was Tommy DeVito.
Still, Winston does give the Giants another signal-caller with starting experience. The 31-year-old has started 87 regular season games over his career, including seven starts last year with the Cleveland Browns. He entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015 and started 70 games for the organization For his career, Winston has an 86.4 passer rating to go along with 24,225 yards passing, 154 passing touchdowns, and 111 interceptions over 10 years.