“Giants Signed Jameis Winston to Make Their Secondary’s Confidence Grow”: Redditors Roast the QB for Tough Start at Giants OTA

Acquiring Jameis Winston on a cheap two-year deal was one of a trio of moves the New York Giants made to bolster their empty QB room this offseason. There are now warm bodies in there, but unfortunately, Russell Wilson, rookie first-rounder Jaxson Dart, and perhaps the most erratic of the bunch, Winston, don’t inspire much confidence.

The Cleveland Browns got the quintessential Jameis Winston experience during his one-season sojourn on the banks of Lake Erie last year. The former No. 1 overall pick started seven games and went 2-5. He threw for 300+ yards three times and multiple TDs four times. But he also threw multiple interceptions in four of those five losses. He upset the division-rival (and playoff-bound) Ravens and Steelers, but also lost to the lowly Saints.

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the Winston football experience proved too much for the Browns in the end. They benched him for the final three games and allowed him to sign with New York in free agency. Not one day into the Giants’ 2025 OTAs on Wednesday, and Big Blue was already starting to see Winston’s “Mr. Hyde” side rear its ugly head again, as reported by Giants beat writer Ed Valentine.

“The Jameis Winston experience with the Giants begins with an interception as he throws into a crowd and safety Dane Belton comes out with the ball,” Valentine tweeted.

As the only man ever to throw 30 TDs and 30 INTs in the same season (a campaign during which he also threw for over 5,000 yards), NFL fans are aware of what Winston brings (and doesn’t bring) to the table. Some surprisingly fun moments, but a lot more frustrating ones.

After learning of his ugly interception to start OTAs, one Reddit user quipped that, “they signed Jameis to make their secondary’s confidence grow.”

Another chimed in, “Boxers get heavybag workouts, DBs get reps against Jameis.” Another crystallized the two sides of Winston with their joke: “If you can’t take him at his interception, Jameis Winston. You don’t deserve him at his long touchdown, Jameis Winston.”

It may be fun to use a guy who loves an interception as much as Winston does as a punching bag. But more sensible minds are not overreacting to one throw on the first day of OTAs. As one Redditor put it, “In general, I just straight up don’t care about reports about training camp interceptions – guys are trying stuff out, learning systems, etc – better it happens now than in a game.”

Jameis Winston throwing interceptions at OTAs should hardly be a worry for Giants fans. Head coach Brian Daboll has named Russell Wilson the starting QB heading into the spring, and New York brass spent valuable draft capital trading back up into the first round to nab Jaxson Dart. Those are the two QBs people should really have their eyes on.

Nevertheless, considering Wilson’s recent history and New York’s iffy track record developing young QBs, we wouldn’t be surprised if Winston got a fun spot start or two at some point in 2025. The only question is: Will it be fun for the Giants, or their opponents?