Should Giants Sign Browns QB Jameis Winston as Their Bridge Quarterback?

One offseason ago, the New York Giants needed a backup quarterback and possibly a potential future replacement for then-starting gunslinger Daniel Jones, who was entering a make-or-break year for his future as the franchise guy.
Then, free agent and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston was available, holding up the metaphorical “quarterback for hire” sign as he looked to continue his decade-long NFL career for a fourth different franchise. Still, the Giants passed and ultimately went with Drew Lock, a decision that didn’t yield the desired results of their investment.
Now, the veteran arm is back wading in the free agent waters, and New York is in the same yet more grave predicament of needing a solution, whether by a short-term bridge man or the rookie franchise piece, to assume the gaping hole that has been left at the helm of the offense and the position overall.
All instincts seem to point to the Giants wanting to secure one of the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 draft in April. Still, nothing is guaranteed as they sit at No. 3 with two teams, the Titans and Browns, picking before them and potentially stealing the two coveted players, Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, away before the board gets to them.
So, should the Giants give another long and thought-out consideration towards signing Winston as a security blanket for the quarterback position if things go south during the first round of the draft?
Winston's answer seems simple. The former No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015 is eager to get his name back on the backside of a team’s uniform before the 2025 season begins.
Winston is just coming from a difficult solo season with the Cleveland Browns. One that saw him appear in 12 games following the season-ending Achilles injury to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and amass 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, with the second stat being his highest in the last three seasons.
Like the Giants, the Browns finished with a 3-14 record, with the only difference being the former’s 21-15 win in the head-to-head matchup in Week 3 this season. With the possibility of Cleveland being in the mix for a novice quarterback, Winston is looking for a new home. He views the Giants and pairing with head coach Brian Daboll as intriguing.
“I have a ton of respect for coach Brian Daboll, the things he does offensively,” Winston said in an interview with NJ. com’s Ryan Novozinsky. “I think they have a young roster. But they have a young roster that’s ready to win. They’re ready to bounce back. I know they’re hungry over there.”
Winston's sentiment that the Giants are on the precipice of competing is surely questionable. During the offseason, they must satisfy more than one positional area on their roster, including the offensive line, defensive front, and secondary.
Still, patching up the quarterback room with an experienced veteran like Winston would be one piece of the puzzle. The Giants have just one gunslinger on the roster: Tommy DeVito, who has no serious future as the team’s starting choice. The Giants must recruit two newcomers, including a potential rookie in the NFL draft.
If the Giants were to dance with the Florida State alum and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, they would pair with a player and a resume perfect for serving as a bridge option or wiser mentor to an incoming rookie quarterback.
In his first five seasons in Tampa Bay, Winston was one of the most consistent high-volume passers in the entire league. He completed over 60.8% of his passes in four campaigns while notching over 3,500 passing yards four times and 22 touchdowns on three stints.
Winston had a record-setting year in 2019, his final one with the Buccaneers. He tallied a career-high 380 completions for 5,109 passing yards and 33 touchdowns, earning him the NFL’s passing yards title.
The only sad part was that several injuries limited his ability to make the game-winning plays. The Buccaneers would finish 7-9, and Winston would be released to usher in Tom Brady.
Even with a mediocre offense and pass protection that ranked 27th in the league according to PFF, Winston ground it out behind his toughness in the pocket to complete 61.1% of his throws, which was his second-best efficiency in the last four seasons. He didn’t have much impact on the ground but boasts the aggressiveness to take off and make something out of nothing with his legs.
A potential partnership with Winston would provide the Giants with a battle-tested veteran who knows what it takes to maneuver an offense even when the circumstances of talent around him aren’t as great.
He would bring passion and a strong leadership presence to a locker room that has slowly lost its sources in the last couple of offseasons and can be had at a fairly reasonable price that mirrored what the team spent for Drew Lock last summer.
Where teams tend to run into trouble with Winston, especially if he would be in contention to be the starting quarterback for the Giants next season, is his tendency for turnovers. He has committed over 11+ turnovers in six of his 10 professional seasons, including the 12 interceptions he threw away this past fall as he tried to play hero ball and sneak the Browns into a few wins that never happened.
The Giants regressed significantly after making some positive strides in the turnover department during the 2023 season when they only had 12 throughout the year. They dropped from 12th to 21st with 23 total cough-ups, 13 of which came from the arms of their four different quarterbacks.
With the offensive line uncertain at this point and the need to sharpen up the offensive production to win games, it might not be the best option to throw Winston into a season-long starting role and take the risk of injuries and poor pass protection, forcing his hand into more negatively impacted decisions.
In the end, few free-agent quarterbacks out there can make the most sense in several other ways, including the passing production and the price tag. Winston isn’t the worst guy to bring over and stabilize the offense while the Giants develop a rookie quarterback to take over in 2026 and beyond.
The key must be to surround him with a strong offensive line and a bounty of weapons to complement his game-management abilities and turn small plays into bigger moments. That’s what made Winston an intriguing player in his time with the Buccaneers, and he hasn’t gotten back to that type of offense yet, although the Giants' offense can offer that promise with the right moves.