Why Trading NY Giants QB Jameis Winston Now Makes Sense

“You're not gonna be able to put Jameis Winston on the practice squad,” Simms said. “Somebody's gonna get Jameis Winston to be their backup quarterback. He's earned that. But with the Giants, yes. Russell Wilson is the starter — that's been clearly stated. I think in the perfect world, they want Jaxson Dart to be the backup. 

“Optics are real,” Simms continued.  “‘Wait, we drafted this guy in the first round and he can't even become the backup quarterback. He can't beat out Jameis Winston, who's been on seven different teams the last few years?’ So all that, and they wanna position Jaxson Dart to take that next step.” 

There’s strong logic in what Simms said. Assuming that the Giants go with three quarterbacks, which they have the last couple of years, the assumption that Dart, as the rookie, would be QB3 means that he’d be the emergency guy who would not have a chance to get live game reps unless the two guys ahead of him couldn’t play.

But if Dart can win the QB2 job–and that seems to be where things are trending after one week of camp and off the heels of the spring OTAs and minicamp.

Dart moves into a spot where not only does he continue to get a portion of the practice reps as QB2, he could also potentially get live reps in select spots, reps that can’t necessarily be replicated in the controlled environment that is practice.  

What about Tommy DeVito?

DeVito has kind of been the forgotten man in this equation because of Dart’s arrival and passing him on the depth chart. Simms noted that the Giants like DeVito, a sentiment Daboll has consistently expressed when asked. 

Simms believes that DeVito, who was QB3 last year until Daniel Jones was released, could continue to fulfill that QB3 role this year. 

“Not only is he a big deal in the area, he’s got some talent,” Simms said. “He's the perfect third guy and probably a guy they can stash away on the practice squad if they have to and do it that way.”

We’re not sure if DeVito can be stashed on the practice squad at this point, but we do agree that of Winston and DeVito, the former would be most likely to be poached in a heartbeat by a quarterback-needy team.

So is a trade involving Winston that far-fetched?

Not really. Besides Dart's development toward becoming the eventual starter, there are two other reasons to make such a move if the right offer comes along.

The first one is that the Giants would get something in return for Winston–even if it’s a Day 3 draft pick–rather than risk cutting him or stashing him on the practice squad, where, again, a quarterback-needy team can get itself a long-time NFL veteran with starting experience that’s capable of winning games.

The bigger reason is the salary cap. Winston has a $3 million cap number this year, which, while not a lot, would yield a $2 million savings with just $1 million dead money hitting the cap this year and the other million hitting the cap next year. 

His $1.95 million guaranteed salary would also come off the books if a deal were to be consummated before the start of the season, probably a welcome development for a Giants team that as of this writing has just $3.8 million in cap space, third-lowest total in the league and a total that is nowhere near enough for the team to add players due to injuries or upgrade opportunities for the duration of the upcoming season.

DeVito, on the other hand, has a $1.03 million cap hit. Although not as experienced as Winston, he could also serve as a mentor to Dart this year and beyond if Winston is indeed moved.

As long as Dart continues to split reps with the second team offense and do a good job with the bulk of them, there is plenty of reason for Winston to be worried about his spot on the Giants after spending the entire offseason and summer learning the offense, and for DeVito to perhaps feel a little bit better about his role.  

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