Caricature of a character: Why Giants QB Jameis Winston is not all sideshow and 'giggles'

Yahoo

6 hours ago

EAST RUTHERFORD - There is a lot to Jameis Winston, and he gets that.
Beyond the "giggles," the accepted challenge on a daily basis for the veteran quarterback of the New York Giants is to show the depth and growth within who he has become. Truth be told, for Winston, nothing else matters more at this stage of the game.
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And if that means his football resume takes a back seat more times than not, he promises that he embraces that − as long as he can convince those who spend time in his company that what they see from him is what they get.
Winston's answer to my question following Tuesday's minicamp practice about his "character" preceding him, seemingly everywhere he goes, was a truly passionate response, and his reply ended up going viral.
What I really wanted to know: Is Winston bothered by the fact that the personality teammates and coaches love talking about winds up turning him into a caricature of sorts, leading many to forget that he is the only No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft currently in the Giants' locker room?
So as we walked together from the post-practice interview session to the locker room, Winston shared he had already heard a similar question recently from someone close to him − his younger brother Jonah, a blue chip wide receiver in Alabama set to follow in his footsteps, initially to major college football.
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"You know, my brother asked me, 'Everybody always talks about the jokes and how funny you are, but don't you ever want to prove how good you are, that you could be The Man,'" Winston told me. "And I just told him, I said I'm confident in what I have done and what I can do on the football field.
"But for me, at the end of the day, you've got to make the most of what the game gives you, and that's why I'm here."
Winston was penciled in as the starting quarterback for the Giants for about four days this offseason.
Then Russell Wilson signed and jumped into the QB1 spot. Then the Giants traded back into the first round of the NFL Draft in late April and selected Jaxson Dart, immediately stamping his arrival as the future of the position here.
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And if the quarterback room needs something regarding the intricacies of the Brian Daboll-Mike Kafka offense, the initial questions will more than likely be directed to Tommy DeVito first.
Every rep Wilson has taken this spring has been with the first team. In recent practices, Dart has gotten his share of snaps with the first and second teams, some ahead of Winston, who has worked with groups up and down the depth chart.
'My job is to be the best Jameis Winston I can be,' he said.
Winston was a star at Florida State and entered the league as the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, but there was baggage that followed him. The "crab legs" fiasco in college. The sexual assault allegations made against him in 2012. There were no criminal charges filed, but a settlement was reached with the accuser.
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"I know what I've done in this NFL league in terms of playing football, and I'm grateful that I had that experience," Winston said. "But I also know that when I first came into this league, that I wasn't looked upon as a man of high character, I wasn't looked upon as that team-oriented guy. I had this perception of me that just wasn't true. Through my course of diving in and growing every single year, I've proven myself to be who I am."
East Rutherford, NJ -- June 5, 2025 -- Quarterback, Jameis Winston as the New York Giants players participate in their 2025 OTAÕs at the Quest Diagnostic Giants Training Center in East Rutherford.
Winston, 31, makes things pretty entertaining for the most part with the way he plays. He also doesn't win consistently. And if you try to change Jameis by limiting his turnover-worthy throws, you strip him of what makes him Jameis.
Winston signed a one-year deal with the Browns last offseason after beginning his career in Tampa Bay and New Orleans. He played in 12 games last year for Cleveland and started seven after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles.
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The Browns were 2-5 in Winston's starts as he threw for 2,121 yards on a 61.1% completion percentage, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He offers two sides of a QB coin, and his performance against the Broncos in December when he threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns while also getting intercepted three times, including a pair of Pick 6s.
Winston's style of play brings about this question: What's the bigger challenge ‒ coaching aggressiveness into a quarterback who does not take chances, or coaching that out of the position for the sake of eliminating risk?
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) speaks with members of the media during Mandatory Minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Giants Training Center in East Rutherford on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Here's what Giants passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney told NorthJersey.com and The Record on that subject at the end of last season: "I think you'd always like to say, 'Whoa,' rather than 'Giddy up.'"
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'Until next time,' Winston quipped, smiling as he walked away from the cameras and directly into our walk-off conversation. "Until next time!'
There is comedic value with Winston, to be sure. But his little brother is right: It's up to Winston to remind those who matter he is not all sideshow every once in a while.
"The greatest compliment that someone can give you is that you're truly who you are, despite the character or the giggles," Winston said. "I think if you ask any of my teammates, any of my coaches who I am, they would say, 'Jameis is truly who he is.'"
This caricature of the character that is Jameis Winston is equal parts interesting, entertaining and complicated, and make no mistake − not everything he says or does comes with a laugh track.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jameis Winston: Quest to prove he's not all sideshow as NY Giants quarterback