EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants and backup quarterback Jameis Winston agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract extension Sunday that runs through 2028, a week before New York opens the season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13.
Winston had been going into the second year of a two-year, $8 million deal. He signed that contract in March 2025, before the Giants traded up to take Jaxson Dart 25th overall the following month.
The remaining year of the original contract is untouched. The new money begins in 2027.
At 32, Winston is going into his 12th NFL season. Tampa Bay took him first overall in 2015, two years after he won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State. He spent five seasons with the Buccaneers. He spent four more with the New Orleans Saints from 2020 through 2023, then one with the Cleveland Browns in 2024. He has played 108 career games with 89 starts. His career totals are 24,792 passing yards, 156 touchdowns, and 113 interceptions.
What Jameis Winston Did For The New York Giants Last Season
Winston appeared in three games with two starts for New York last season. He went 37-of-66 for 567 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He opened the year third on the depth chart behind Russell Wilson and Dart. The starts came after Wilson was demoted and Dart entered concussion protocol.
Dart threw for 2,272 yards with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 14 games and 12 starts as a rookie. He rushed for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Winston said in November, with a year still left on his contract, that he would stay in New York whether he played or backed up Dart.
“My dream is to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the NFL,” Winston said.
Winston came into the league under the same first-round expectations Dart carries now, one pick higher than anyone else in the 2015 class.
“I tell him it’s one day at a time,” Winston said of his advice to Dart at minicamp.
Dart’s answer at the 2025 combine, when the question was which player past or present he would most want to train with, was Winston rather than Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, or Joe Montana, in an interview with Overtime.
“He’s like a coach on the field [and] in the film room,” Dart said, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Winston is also on Giants coach John Harbaugh’s leadership council, the group of players who work as a liaison between the coaching staff and the roster, per the AP. Harbaugh is in his first season in New York after 18 years as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
Giants Quarterback Room Entering Week 1 Against The Dallas Cowboys
New York carried two quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster, Dart and Winston. The Giants released Brandon Allen on Aug. 30 and waived Jake Haener the same day. Haener signed to the practice squad Aug. 31 and was released Sept. 1.
Winston’s extension is the second Giants roster move in four days. New York signed linebacker Malik Harrison to the practice squad Thursday and released defensive lineman Ben Barten.
The Giants and Cowboys kick off at 7:20 p.m. CT on Sunday, Sept. 13, at MetLife Stadium on NBC. New York then plays at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Sept. 21.
