Giants name Jameis Winston starting QB vs. Packers

Pat Leonard, New York Daily News on Nov 12, 2025

Published in Football

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NEW YORK — Jameis Winston was so excited about being named the New York Giants’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers that he started signing lyrics from the Broadway musical "Hamilton."

“This is something I’ve been doing since I was four years old, now I get to do it in the greatest city in the worrrrrllddd,” Winston, 31, sang on Wednesday. “I’m gonna be singing it with my son: ‘It’s the greatest city in the world!’ That’s a ‘Hamilton’ reference if ya’ll don’t know. Ten-year reunion.”

There is no one like Winston, and he can still play. So there is no one better to lead the Giants (2-8) in this circumstance than a talented veteran who thrives in chaos.

“He’s a natural-born gunslinger,” wide receiver Darius Slayton said. “He’s still got a hose [of an arm].”

That is why, as the New York Daily News first reported early Wednesday morning, the Giants tabbed Winston ahead of Russell Wilson with rookie starter Jaxson Dart (concussion) sidelined — even though Winston has been the Giants’ inactive, emergency third quarterback the entire season.

Through his years as the starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and as an explosive but volatile backup for the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns, Winston has grown accustomed to stepping into uncommon and unexpected situations and producing.

He is just as capable of being the chaos as he is of thriving within chaos, of course.

He has thrown 111 career interceptions to 154 career touchdown passes, including 146 yards passing, no touchdowns and three interceptions in his last start for the Browns against the Kansas City Chiefs last December.

But Winston also threw for 334 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a Browns upset win over the Ravens last year. He is “energetic” and “enthusiastic,” and he is committed to leading a Giants team that badly needs direction.

“In times like this, it’s just [about] action,” Winston said. “Who’s gonna focus on being the solution, on doing all that they can do to be the solution for this team? I’m taking it one day and play at a time, and I’m encouraging everyone else just do your best. That’s all the fans want.”

The Giants did not give Winston any chance at all to compete for the starting job during the offseason after signing both him and Wilson as free agents in March. But they had to turn to him this week after Wilson — who went 0-3 to start the season before being benched for Dart — again looked brutal in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s road collapse against the Chicago Bears.

Kafka said Wednesday that naming Winston the starter was his decision alone, but GM Joe Schoen is intimately involved in the Giants’ gameday roster decisions. So he is just as involved in starting Winston now as he was in deciding the veteran quarterback shouldn’t even compete for the starting job during the spring and summer.

This was the only call to make here, though. Winston has his finger on the pulse of the team and is hungry to snap the Giants’ four-game losing streak, having not played a regular season snap since Dec. 15, 2024.

“We are ready for a win,” he said. “I think that’s the consensus. I think this city, this stadium, we are willing to do anything and everything for the New York Giants to be celebrating at the end of the day.”

He also knows that all of the enthusiasm in the world — even in the “greatest city in the world” — won’t matter if he doesn’t deliver against the Packers.

“If I don’t go out there and throw touchdowns and create excitement, no one will really care,” Winston said with a smile. “No one really cares unless you’re producing.”

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