Jameis Winston to start vs. Packers with Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol

Dart suffered a concussion during Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Bears, the Giants’ fourth in a row that dropped them to 2-8 on the season.

It led to Wilson making his first appearance since Week 6. The veteran replaced the rookie to start the fourth quarter, with the Giants leading 17-10 at the time, and completed three of his seven pass attempts for 45 yards while being sacked twice.

Before the concussion, Dart completed 19 of 29 passes for 242 yards. He also ran six times for 66 yards, scoring both of the Giants’ touchdowns on the ground.

Dart, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October, became the first quarterback in NFL history with a touchdown run in five consecutive games, breaking a tie with Cam Newton (2011).

Sunday would be Winston’s first appearance of the season. The 11-year veteran had served as the emergency third quarterback all season, which is technically a gameday inactive designation.

“I’ve been waiting on this moment, man,” Winston said. “So, the shock was off, the rust is off. It’s like, hey, you get to play. And when you get to play, nothing else matters but taking it one play at a time and doing your very best. Because we all have different circumstances, conditions, and facts and I know that. But, man, I’m extremely grateful. I choose to focus on what’s true and that’s my mentality, that’s my opportunity, being able to lead this team, and that’s my action. So going out there, being energetic, enthusiastic, serving every single way that I can, and playing the best football I possibly can play.”

Winston last played on Dec. 15, 2024, when he started his seventh consecutive (and final) game for the Browns.

“I think Jameis has done a great job since he’s been here,” Kafka said. “Just like all our quarterback room, I’ve got a lot of trust in that room, being in there all the time, pretty much every single day since we’ve been here. But I’ve got a good feel for those guys, and I think Jameis will do a heck of a job. He’s a great leader. He has a lot of production in this league, and I think he’s going to do a great job leading that group.”

The Giants signed Winston and Wilson as part of an offseason overhaul in the quarterback room. A month later, they drafted Dart with the No. 25 overall pick.

The first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston has played in 105 games with 87 starts for the Buccaneers (2015-19), Saints (2020-23), and Browns (2024). He has completed 1,944 passes out of 3,178 attempts (61.2 percent) for 24,225 yards and 154 touchdowns to 111 interceptions. He has also rushed for 1,297 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career.

Winston has appeared in one postseason game for the Saints and attempted one pass, which went for a 56-yard touchdown.

After five seasons with the Buccaneers, Winston is still the franchise’s all-time leader in pass attempts, completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes.

Winston is one of nine players in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season. He did so in 2019, when he became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 450 yards in consecutive contests.

After he spent the next four seasons in New Orleans, Winston played in 12 games with Cleveland in 2024. He started seven of those contests, averaging 291 yards per game with 13 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

Winston earned his lone Pro Bowl nod as a rookie in 2015 after an illustrious career at Florida State. He posted a 27-1 record as a starter and became the second freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Winston led the Seminoles to back-to-back 13-0 regular seasons, winning the 2014 BCS National Championship.

“In times like this, it’s just action,” Winston said. “Who’s going to focus on being the solution? Who’s going to focus on doing all that they can do to be the solution for this team? And me, I’m just taking it one day at a time, one play at a time, and I’m encouraging everyone else, just do your best. That’s all the fans want. The fans just want us to come out there and do our very best. And when we come out and execute and do our very best, we’re a tough team to beat.”