Losing Jaxson Dart to a knee injury on Monday night was a "gut punch" to the New York Giants, in the words of his replacement. And that was before they learned that their franchise quarterback might be lost for the entire season. Now that body shot is in danger of turning into a knockout blow, ruining what once seemed like such a promising season.
And only Jameis Winston can step in and save the Giants. But that’s mostly because the Giants have no other choice. Like it or not, the 32-year-old Winston is the best of the terrible options facing the Giants if it does turn out that Dart is done for the year.
There is no Joe Flacco-like, plug-and-play starting quarterback sitting in free agency. Most of the backups who might be available in a trade aren’t much of an upgrade either. And the good ones who could provide some excitement will surely cost more than the Giants would be willing to give up.
Which is why it’s Winston-or-bust for this star-crossed team in 2026, if what Giants coach John Harbaugh called the "ongoing process of evaluation" of Dart’s knee reveals the season-ending injury they so obviously fear. The Giants will say that’s not so bad. After all, they liked Winston enough to sign him to a two-year, $13 million contract extension just two weeks ago, making him one of the highest-paid backup QBs in the league.
But their faith in him was mostly a short-term proposition. They saw him, according to a team source, as a solid veteran who was smart and talented enough to get them through a short stretch if Dart went down. Their faith gets shakier when it’s a long-term proposition they were hoping to avoid, especially since Winston last started more than seven games in a season seven years ago.
That year, if you don't recall, was a great example of the full Jameis Winston experience. His cannon arm threw for 5,109 yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 — still the fifth-highest total ever. He also threw a career-high 33 touchdown passes.
But he countered that with a ridiculous 30 interceptions (seventh all time, and the most in more than 30 years) as the Bucs went 7-9. Ideally, the Giants could keep their playoff hopes alive by acquiring someone that would make them less … nauseous. But look at the landscape.
The other options are mostly even worse. Flacco would be an upgrade, even at age 41. He was terrific for the Bengals in six starts last season, and he’s got a long history with Harbaugh from their days in Baltimore.
But he’s the only backup to Joe Burrow on the roster of a team with Super Bowl aspirations. He’s their insurance policy, so he’s not going anywhere. Everyone else?
Yuck, either because of what they’d cost or who they are. Let's run through some names to illustrate the Giants' predicament. Mac Jones: The 49ers have reportedly wanted a second-round pick and more when teams inquired over the past couple of years.
That’s too high of a price to pay, even if the Niners were selling. Shedeur Sanders: He’s got loud fans, but even the Browns aren’t sure he has a future. And the last thing the Giants need is a quarterback learning on the job.
Derek Carr: There have been rumors that he’d consider unretiring for the right opportunity, but he’s 35 and hasn’t played in almost two full years. Carson Wentz: He was with Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in Kansas City last year, but the Vikings don’t like J.J. McCarthy enough anymore to trade Kyler Murray's backup.
Jacoby Brissett: Presumably, the Cardinals could deal him if they decide to move on to Gardner Minshew or rookie Carson Beck. But if Brissett loses his job to either of them, is he really an upgrade? Jimmy Garoppolo: The 34-year-old is also open to unretiring, but the last anyone really saw him was when he lost his job to Aidan O’Connell.
That was three years ago now. Tommy DeVito: The Italians of Northern New Jersey would be thrilled, but even if the Patriots made him available, the Giants already know his train won’t carry them far. There are others, of course.
Josh Johnson’s never-ending NFL story is currently playing out on the Bengals practice squad. Maybe Eagles GM Howie Roseman would be willing to swindle the Giants into a lopsided deal for veteran Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee. See, if there really are better options out there, they probably aren’t available anyway.
Because why would any team be willing to trade a capable backup in the wake of the Week 2 carnage that saw three talented young quarterbacks (Dart, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams) go down? At least Winston knows the Giants’ offense and has had time practicing with their players. That doesn’t count for much, but it’s better than nothing at all.
OK, maybe it’s not much better. The Giants are almost certainly damned no matter what they do. Their best hope is that Winston can be the short-term solution they believed he was and guide them through the easiest stretch of their schedule — New York's next three games are at home against the Tennessee Titans (0-2) and the Arizona Cardinals (1-1) and then at the Washington Commanders (0-2).
If the Giants' defense and running game are what they think they are, a 3-2 or 4-1 record with Winston at the helm isn’t that far out of reach. After that … well, that’s where the Jameis Winston experience could get wild. But there just aren’t many better rides out there that would get the Giants to the place they eventually hoped to be.
So their best bet is to commit all their first-team reps to Winston and see where he takes them. It could be a very bumpy ride, though. Buckle up, Giants fans.
