The New York Giants skirted convention a bit this offseason, effectively signing two accomplished veteran quarterbacks and drafting a rookie signal-caller in the first round. Jaxson Dart was not a consensus first round prospect by any means, but his athleticism and arm talent were a bat signal for Brian Daboll, who squinted just enough to have visions of Josh Allen.
That left New York with a crowded QB room. Russell Wilson was tabbed as the starter, while Jameis Winston fell in as the backup, with Dart profiling as QB3 out of the gate. I think we all knew Dart would eventually grab backup quarterback duties, but Winston is a former top pick with a lot of starts under his belt. He presumably did not sign with New York just to kick rocks and scroll his iPad on the sideline with zero path to significant reps.
And yet, rather than waiting until a convenient point in the regular season to promote Dart — perhaps in concert with the inevitable Russ demotion — the Giants are straight up slotting the rookie as QB2 right now, before training camp even starts. He finished OTAs taking second-string reps and was "excellent" in practices, as Daboll told ESPN.
If Winston is already QB3, plenty of teams should take interest in an ultra-cheap trade to install him as their backup. Here are a few spots that make the most sense.
3. New Orleans Saints
How about a reunion? Jameis Winston started seven games across four seasons with the New Orleans Saints before signing on with the Cleveland Browns in 2024. While the Saints appear content with their youth, it's hard to feel good about Tyler Shough as a Week 1 starter — especially in a divison that feels so winnable for even a remotely competitive group.
Maybe trial by fire is the best route with Shough, who's already older than your standard rookie at 25, and whose wealth of experience in college was a major selling point pre-draft. But if you're not sold on Shough as an NFL starter, and you're not comfortable with Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener as the alternatives, then Winston makes a degree of sense. It helps that he is familiar with the clubhouse and the organization. He'd need to learn a new playbook, but he knows his way around the Saints organization.
This is really the only team where Winston could feasibly start. More likely, he comes in and takes over QB2 duties behind Shough, ready and willing to step up if the rookie struggles out of the gate. Either way, Winston's ability to lead and mentor a young quarterback room could prove valuable. The Saints should genuinely consider this.
2. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback room has been a hot topic of discussion all offseason. With Sam Darnold in Seattle, the Vikings appear fully confident in J.J. McCarthy's ability to take over in his belated rookie season. McCarthy was a top-12 pick and an NCAA champ at Michigan, so in theory, the Vikings should feel good about cementing him as QB1.
That said, McCarthy was less experienced than the majority of his draft peers and he spent his entire first NFL season recovering from an ankle injury. So we don't really know what to expect, and Minnesota doesn't have much of a fallback plan if McCarthy comes out of the gate slow. His current backup, Sam Howell, put up big numbers with the Commanders in 2023, but he also led the NFL in interceptions with 21 and sacks with 65. So he throws a lot, but not with much accuracy, and the decision-making leaves much to be desired.
The Vikings offense makes just about every quarterback look better than they are, but if Minnesota wants a more established alternative to McCarthy, whether he underperforms or he gets hurt, Winston fits the bill. Winston comes with interception troubles of his own, but he's a big-time arm with a track record of competing (and winning) as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Putting him in the Kevin O'Connell offense is not the worst idea ever.
1. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears will look to rebound from yet another disappointing season, this time with Ben Johnson calling the shots as head coach. Johnson elevated Detroit's offense to historic heights as offensive coordinator and he should be able to unlock Caleb Williams in ways the prior regime never could. There's no way Williams is not front and center in Chicago's roster-building plan for the foreseeable future.
That said, every great team needs a solid backup QB, just in case. Right now, Chicago's options behind Williams are Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum, neither of whom inspire much confidence. Winston is often as good as the offense around him. He can engineer big plays and throw with tremendous confidence, but he needs the right infrastructure and playcalling to mitigate his flaws. Chicago has a deep WR room, a revamped run game, and arguably the most sought-after playcaller since pre-Super Bowl Kyle Shanahan.
It feels like the Bears are finally trending in the right direction. Williams is the primary building block, the foundation upon which everything is built, but he's also a run-happy quarterback who will put himself in harm's way — especially if Chicago's offensive line does not make drastic improvements. Installing a more dependable stopgap option like Winston could benefit the Bears immensely.