NY Giants QB Jameis Winston’s Personality a Hit With Teammates

Winston brings a unique blend of seriousness yet lightheartedness to the offense.

Jameis Winston with the NY Giants | Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NY Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton is having fun this spring as the team goes through its OTAs and upcoming minicamp, and a large reason behind that has been the major makeover the team’s quarterbacks room underwent in the offseason.

Projected starter Russell Wilson, veteran backup Jameis Winston, and rookie draft pick Jaxson Dart were all added to a room to join holdover Tommy DeVito. That has turned the quarterback room into an eclectic group.  

“Yeah, it is an interesting compilation of individuals,” said Slayton, the longest-tenured member of the offense. 

The personalities couldn’t be more different. Wilson is the buttoned-down corporate guy. Dart is the new kid on the block who is taking it all in while also looking to put forth a professional demeanor.

DeVito is the "senior" member of the group in terms of being the longest-tenured quarterback on the roster.

And then there is Winston, who injects a lighter dose of personality into the room.  

“Jameis is a wild card, just as a human being. So having his personality around is amazing,” Slayton said.

A different--and missing kind of vibe

Jameis Winston of the NY Giants has kept his teammates on their toes with his quirkiness. | Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lest anyone get the wrong idea, Winston is very much a professional who does what he needs to do and then some to help the team. But his personality is without a doubt the most vivacious and, according to Slayton, somewhat unpredictable, albeit in a good way.  

“It's so hard to describe,” Slayton said when asked to give an example of why he describes Winston as the “wild card” of the group. 

“It's just how I'm talking right now. He'd be talking just like this, and it's just the random thoughts that come to his head, and they just come out, and it's like, ‘We were talking about a slant–how did we get to Kentucky Fried Chicken?’ 

“I can't think of an exact example, but it's just random hard lefts. Then he comes right back on topics, and it’s like, ‘Am I tripping, or are you tripping?’ But he's a really fun guy to be around.”

Slayton says Winston’s quirky personality is a good thing in that it keeps everyone on their toes.

“He has the most unique balance I've ever seen of light but serious,” Slayton said.

“He's very knowledgeable. He's very serious when he needs to be serious, but at the same time, he has a light energy about him, so it keeps people calm. So, it's not like you're not nervous to play with him.” 

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