Pat Leonard: Giants paid Jameis Winston again because he can play

Pat Leonard, New York Daily News on Sep 8, 2026

Published in Football

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NEW YORK — The Giants signed backup quarterback Jameis Winston to a contract extension on Monday because he can play.

He’s a starting-level NFL quarterback who is accepting a backup role in New York but who carries himself like a veteran starter who expects to play and to thrive when he does.

Sure, Winston, 32, is a popular teammate in the locker room. He also has his own personal, post-career reasons in his budding media career to embrace a longer stint in the Big Apple.

This two year extension makes him a Giant through the 2028 season.

But the reason Winston got a raise in this two-year, $13 million extension — which increases his average annual earnings from $4 million to $6.5 million — is that Winston is capable of elevating the offense.

Jaxson Dart had an uneven training camp while trying to pick up Matt Nagy’s new install. Dart also has struggled to stay on the field. He even took another trip to the blue medical tent in his only preseason appearance against the Minnesota Vikings.

Winston so far has looked more comfortable planting his back foot in the ground in the pocket and releasing the ball on time in Nagy’s offense than Dart has.

Plus, if the number one concern with Dart is his availability, the Giants need to be able to count on their backup even more than NFL teams typically do with the vet in their bullpen.

Look no further than last season’s 34-27 overtime loss in Detroit for evidence of how Winston stays ready for that moment.

He went off for 366 yards, two touchdown passes, a touchdown catch and an interception while playing with a skill group that would make Giants fans blush watching the highlights.

Harbaugh refreshingly is setting a new tone with the Giants by taking care of both Winston and left guard Jon Runyan Jr., who signed a two-year, $22 million extension, prior to the start of the season.

The Super Bowl winning head coach understands the value of veteran leadership on a team, and he is strengthening the organization’s ties to two high performers who had strong camps in helping him set a new tone for the team that will take the field Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s also helpful in Winston’s case to have a capable veteran locked up for three more years no matter what role he has to play, whether it’s as a permanent backup to Dart or as a bridge starter to a new QB down the road.

Above all, though, Harbaugh is a football coach who is focused on employing good football players.

That’s what Winston is. In fact, he had the best camp of any quarterback on the Giants’ roster.

He’s more than a backup. He’s an insurance policy for the Giants’ plans to return to relevance.

Winston can play.

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