Jameis Winston is still shaping his narrative

RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston didn’t come into this NFL season with any particular burden, aside from the challenge of backing up Jaxson Dart and being prepared to step in if needed. There were no expectations that Winston would be counted on to carry the Giants.

That all changed in the first quarter of the Giants’ second game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams.

Dart took a shot to the knee, sustaining an injury that originally did not seem serious. By the following day, it was announced the second-year quarterback would be out for the season and Winston would be his replacement.

All of a sudden, Winston, a 12-year veteran, was put at the front of the line by Giants head coach John Harbaugh.

Now, Winston is expected to help salvage the Giants’ season.

Earlier this week, New York traded for third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whose failed tenure in Minnesota resulted in him first being demoted to third string and finally being jettisoned out of Minneapolis and planted in the Giants’ garden.

So, Winston is put in yet another fascinating position of preparing to start and prove that he has what it takes at 32 years old to be a productive quarterback. He is also expected to mentor a pair of young quarterbacks who are dealing with recent setbacks: Dart’s season-ending injury and McCarthy’s trade.

Before Winston met with reporters this week, he and McCarthy had a conversation on the field as Winston completed his post-practice workout.

When Winston met the media, someone asked jokingly if he was trying to recruit McCarthy into his workout routine.

“I’ll tell you what: If he’s attracted to it, I’m open,” Winston said. “What I want for myself I want for everyone. So, if he wants to join the routine, he’s definitely welcome.”

A significant part of Winston’s success is being able to remain reasonably healthy throughout his professional career, beginning when he was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. Health, preparation and the ability to step in at moment’s notice and run an offense have been a large part of why Winston has remained a valuable commodity.

Winston will start his second consecutive game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, whose 33-year-old quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, is a mirror image of him: an African American quarterback who has played on multiple NFL teams.

Another one of Winston’s admirable traits is selflessness: accepting one’s role, removing ego from the equation, saying he’s doing it for the team and really meaning it. He was asked Wednesday if he felt insulted that the Giants would so quickly bring in another quarterback to back him up? Did he feel challenged?

“I feel challenged to get better every single day,” he said.” That’s just the makeup of who I am as a person — always looking for ways to build on the positives and eliminate the negatives. No matter the circumstances, conditions, or facts, my mind is on what my heart desires and that is to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.”

But did he feel pressure to play well, knowing fans are eager to see McCarthy.

“I have to play well regardless,” Winston said. “It doesn’t matter who’s in the building. When you’re a quarterback for the New York Football Giants, you have to give your team a chance to win, and that’s just the business that we’re in.”

Longevity in sports is largely an unearned miracle. Why some athletes enjoy double-digit seasons is often as mysterious as why some careers flame out after two or three seasons.

How does one earn NFL longevity?

“You earn it simply by winning football games,” Winston said. “Developing trust in an organization in your coaches and in your teammates. But earning anything is a day-to-day process.”

In Winston’s case, it would be easy to attribute longevity to talent. Indeed, talent has allowed him to outlast a number of serious off-field legal transgressions.

I first met Winston in 2014 when he was immersed in controversy surrounding legal issues. He was a junior at Florida State, and the Seminoles had hosted Notre Dame and escaped with a 31-27 victory. Winston, who had won the Heisman Trophy a year earlier, was impressive.

He rallied the Seminoles with his arm, with his fire on the sideline and in the locker room at intermission with Florida State trailing. Winston led the Seminoles to three consecutive second-half scoring drives, completing 15 of 16 passes after halftime and displaying the talent that would make NFL scouts forget any concerns of character issues in the draft. He would be drafted with the first pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But I hadn’t gone to Tallahassee, Florida, to watch a football game. I’d gone to size up Winston.

At the time of that 2014 game, Florida State was in the process of scheduling a student judiciary hearing for Winston in connection with a rape accusation from December 2012 by a woman who accused Winston of sexually assaulting her when he was a freshman. He was never charged with a crime by police in Tallahassee, and the state attorney’s office declined to pursue a criminal case against him.

That same year, Winston received a civil citation for taking seafood — crab legs and crawfish — from a grocery store without paying.

In 2016, Winston settled the federal lawsuit filed by the woman. In a separate case, he and an Uber driver reached a settlement in a sexual battery lawsuit in 2018.

Winston had some good years in Tampa, but he never turned out to be the franchise-making quarterback it had hoped for. It was in Tampa where he developed his reputation for throwing touchdowns and interceptions almost at the same pace. In 2019, Winston threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns, but he also threw 30 interceptions.

Winston left Tampa Bay after the 2019 season and signed as a free agent with New Orleans, where he remained until 2024, when he signed a one-year deal with Cleveland.

By nearly every account, Winston is a great teammate, respected and embraced in the locker room. The media likes Winston, too. His interviews can be a cross between sermons and comedy routines.

Later in the same media session this week, I wondered how Winston had changed his definition of success over the years, from being a 19-year-old Heisman Trophy winner to being a 32-year-old NFL veteran married with two sons.

Winston said he still wants to win, wants to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, but he said his standard for success leans more heavily toward life outside of football: being a good husband, a good father to two boys, a good employee, a good teammate. That means helping McCarthy and Dart get through a dark period in their respective professional lives.

“Success to me is being able to impact one of my brothers in the locker room, impact the organization by showing gratitude, by being a light, a leader to others, displaying an infectious spirit of servitude and servant leadership, inspiring young men and women to focus on what they would love and encouraging them, igniting their dreams that they can do anything they put their mind to,” Winston said. “At the end of the day, it’s bigger than ball.”

Winston knows firsthand about fulfilling dreams. Born in Bessemer, Alabama, he became the first Black quarterback at Hueytown High School.

“In my whole life, my dream was to be an NFL quarterback, and my parents — they sacrificed so much for me to be here,” Winston said. “So, what does success look like? I believe success looks different in a bunch of different perspectives, but in terms of being a quarterback, the ultimate success is winning football games and winning Super Bowls.”

During his conversation with reporters, Winston expressed frustration that he has been unable to shake his legacy of throwing interceptions. He made the point that against the Tennessee Titans last week in a 12-7 victory, he did what was needed to win. All he needed to do was manage the game.

“People are surprised that I can win — we can win — in the manner that we did because everyone’s so used to me throwing for 500 yards and throwing interceptions,” he said. “I get it, the identity right? It’s what y’all used to.”

So now, at this late stage in his career, Winston has an opportunity to change the narrative. He has an opportunity to prevent the Giants from being a sinking ship by winning the games they are supposed to win and some they aren’t supposed to. That is a low bar, because very few people are expecting the Giants to win much at all.

Winston is prepared to start his second game of the season. The question is whether this is the beginning of a renaissance for Winston or the beginning of the end of a remarkably intriguing career.

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