It doesn’t sound like Jameis Winston is going anywhere. The Giants still have plenty of use for him.
With how good rookie Jaxson Dart has looked through two preseason games and in training camp, there is a case to be made he should be elevated ahead of Winston on the depth chart as Russell Wilson’s backup at quarterback.
If that happens, it could make sense for the Giants, despite having just signed him to a two-year, $8 million deal this offseason, to try and trade him and cash in from a quarterback-needy team.
“I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant,” assistant general manager Brandon Brown said after practice Tuesday. “With the way that he’s gone about his business from Day 1, he’s made it very intentional with the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul.”
Even if he is behind Wilson and potentially Dart in the pecking order, the Giants see value in having Winston in the locker room.
And Wilson is set to be a free agent again after this season — if things go to plan and Dart is ready to take over as the starter next year, the Giants would have a reliable backup for him in Winston on a cheap contract.
“Teammates love him, his preparation process, whether it’s the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible study, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together, not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole,” Brown said.
“He’s been comic relief, but he’s also been a really good example of how to be a pro in handling your business in terms of prehab, rehab, postgame care. So, I’m happy he’s here, and he’s going to continue to do those things. He hasn’t wavered and he hasn’t been shaken by any distractions at all.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
