Jameis Winston agrees to two-year, $8m contract with New York Giants

Jameis Winston is ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple. And maybe eat some wins for the New York Giants, too.

The 31-year-old quarterback agreed to terms with the Giants on a two-year, $8m contract, a person familiar with the deal according to the Associated Press and multiple sources.

“Start spreading the neWs,” Winston posted on his X account Friday, a play on his infamous ‘Eat a W’ pregame speech with Tampa Bay in 2017. He added an apple emoji while appearing to confirm his Big Apple welcome.

Winston joins Tommy DeVito as the only quarterbacks on the Giants’ roster. New York has been in the market in free agency for a veteran, with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco also mentioned as possible targets.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce the deal. Fox Sports first reported that Winston was joining the Giants, adding that the deal could be for as much as $16m with incentives.

New York’s quarterback situation has been unsettled this offseason, with the only move at the position since free agency began last week being the re-signing of DeVito. The team had interest in the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, who was given permission to explore trade options but later agreed to a restructured contract with Los Angeles.

The Giants then appeared to be waiting on the 41-year-old Rodgers, who spent the last two seasons with the Jets but was released on 13 March.

Rodgers, who hasn’t publicly said he’ll play a 21st NFL season, met with Pittsburgh on Friday, according to another person with knowledge of the situation – signaling an interest on both sides. He spent several hours in the team’s facility gathering information, but left without signing a contract. That person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the meeting was not made public.

Wilson, who spent last season in Pittsburgh, also remains a free agent and his next move could be predicated on what Rodgers decides.

The Giants continued to explore their options and reportedly recently met with Winston, Wilson and Flacco. They now have their veteran in Winston to pair with DeVito – and also hold the No 3 pick in the NFL draft next month. So, a top quarterback such as Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders could still be in play.

Winston played in 12 games last season for Cleveland and started in seven after Deshaun Watson was injured, throwing for 2,121 yards and 13 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He set a Browns record with 497 yards passing in Week 13 with four TDs against Denver, but also had three interceptions – two of which were returned for scores – in Cleveland’s 41-32 loss.

He spent the previous four seasons in New Orleans primarily as a backup.

Winston was the No 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2015 draft out of Florida State. He got off to a solid start to his NFL career, finishing second in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Rams running back Todd Gurley, and surpassed 4,000 yards passing in each of his first two seasons. But he also struggled with his consistency and interceptions in key moments became an issue.

Winston threw for a league-leading 5,109 yards and had 33 touchdowns in 2019, but also led the NFL with a career-worst 30 interceptions in his last season as the Buccaneers’ starter. He signed with the Saints in 2020 to be Drew Brees’ backup and then re-signed the following offseason the day after Brees announced his retirement.

He started seven games in 2021 before a torn ACL ended his season. A back injury limited him the following season as he became the backup to Andy Dalton. Winston again re-signed with the Saints in 2023, serving as Derek Carr’s backup.

Winston has passed for 24,225 yards and 154 touchdowns with 111 interceptions in 10 NFL seasons.