Insider offers update on trade rumors regarding Giants' Jameis Winston

Whispers suggesting that the New York Giants are essentially hoping that some team will trade for backup quarterback Jameis Winston this summer continue to hover over the club ahead of training camp. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, Giants reporter Dan Duggan of The Athletic explained why it's likely Winston will enter September as the primary backup for starter Russell Wilson. 

"He doesn’t figure to have much trade value," Duggan said about Winston. "All 32 teams were free to sign Winston this offseason, and he was only able to land a two-year, $8M contract from the Giants. Second, the Giants signed Winston with a clear plan in mind for his role. He’ll be the insurance policy if Wilson gets injured early in the season before rookie Jaxson Dart is ready. And then, Winston will serve as Dart’s backup in 2026."

Some previously linked Winston with the New Orleans Saints, his NFL home from 2020 through the 2023 season. New Orleans plans to hold a summer competition for its QB1 gig involving rookie Tyler Shough, 2024 fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round choice Jake Haener. As of Wednesday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Shough as a -310 betting favorite to be the Saints' Week 1 starter. 

Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen want Dart to spend at least a portion of the upcoming season developing as an unused backup. Meanwhile, Duggan noted that Wilson "is the most sacked quarterback since entering the league in 2012" and was "also the most sacked quarterback over the past four seasons while playing for three different teams." Such information shows Wilson could absorb quite a bit of punishment before Daboll deems that Dart is ready to face live defenses in meaningful games. 

Wilson didn't play over the first six weeks of the 2024 regular season while recovering from a calf injury that first popped up during the summer. He had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee following the 2022 season, and he dealt with what was referred to as a partially torn hamstring during that campaign. Thus, it's fair to wonder how long the 36-year-old will stay healthy this coming fall. 

As for Tommy DeVito's future with the Giants, Duggan wrote that "whatever value DeVito’s playbook knowledge provided should have dissipated since the experienced Wilson and Winston had the entire spring to learn the offense." In short, it seems DeVito will only make New York's Week 1 roster if Wilson, Winston or Dart is unavailable because of an injury.