Update, March 21: The Giants must have listened to Saquon Barkley because they’re finalizing a two-year deal with Jameis Winston, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Jameis Winston has been keeping busy during Super Bowl Week as the FOX Sports digital correspondent in New Orleans. The city is familiar to Winston, who played for the Saints for four seasons before inking a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns.
Now, the 31-year-old is a free agent and will soon bring his quarterbacking skills and viral stardom to a new team. But where will Winston, who began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, land next?
One of the biggest names playing in Super Bowl LIX is Saquon Barkley, who called his decision to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason a “no-brainer.” Barkley clearly knows how to navigate free agency, so he offered a suggestion. He thinks Winston should join the New York Giants, Barkley’s former team:
Saquon Barkley suggests Jameis Winston to sign with Giants in free agency | Super Bowl LIX Opening Night
“I think New York need a quarterback right now,” Barkley told Winston, before clarifying he meant the Giants.
“I’ll give them a call,” Winston responded.
For his part, Barkley said he had “nothing but love” for Giants fans and the way they supported him in his six-year career in New York.
The Giants still probably regret letting Barkley leave for Philadelphia, where he rushed for 2,005 yards during the regular season and another 442 yards so far in the postseason. The Barkley-less Giants finished with a 3-14 record and started three different quarterbacks in 2024. They also hold the No. 3 pick in the draft and are projected to take a young passer, such as Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.
With each quarterback on their roster currently set to become a free agent at the start of the new league year, the Giants have room for both a rookie and a more experienced player on the roster, like Winston.
But the Giants could have competition for Winston’s services. Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown wouldn’t mind seeing Winston as Jalen Hurts’ backup in Philadelphia.
A.J. Brown’s free agency pitch to Jameis Winston: ‘We’ve got some room for you’ | Super Bowl LIX Opening Night
Nick Sirianni could be on board with that. Winston also checked in with the Eagles head coach to ask where he should sign in free agency. Sirianni called Winston, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, a “heck of a football player” and “a really good leader.”
Hurts is firmly entrenched as the starter, though, and his primary backup is 26-year-old Kenny Pickett.
So the Eagles might not have a spot for Winston. What about a team in the AFC?
Veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is trying to win a Super Bowl ring as a first-year member of the Chiefs, also made his pitch for Winston to come to Kansas City.
DeAndre Hopkins tries to recruit Jameis Winston to the Chiefs | Super Bowl LIX Opening Night
Patrick Mahomes isn’t giving up his starting job anytime soon, but backing him up would give Winston a good shot at making the Super Bowl for the first time in his career (more so than if he joined the Giants, anyway).
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