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The new New York Giants are exciting to many people, including some on their own roster.
It’s been a rough decade-plus for the Giants. Since winning Super Bowl XLVI, they’ve had just two seasons that finished above .500, and after a surprise visit to the playoffs in 2022, have since gone 13-38.
But after seemingly finding the quarterback in Jaxson Dart and bringing in veteran head coach John Harbaugh, fans can only hope that one of the darkest eras in franchise history, one that closely mimics a playoff drought from 1964 to 1980, is in the rearview mirror.
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New head coach John Harbaugh shakes hands with New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston during a press conference at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford on Jan. 20, 2025. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Jameis Winston certainly thinks so.
The longtime veteran figured to only take snaps for the G-Men barring an injury to the young phenom in the Darts, but at least he’s certainly entertained by his game.
“It’s exciting, man. Every time I’m in the meeting room with him and I watch some of his clips from last year, it kind of reminds me of myself because he’s tough, he’s fearless, and he has this aura about him that allows everyone on our team to get behind him and support him. It’s pretty cool,” Winston said of Dart to Pakinomist Digital.
“When I came into the league young, everything was more traditional. To see him run the way he runs and be as decisive in the passing game as he is, it really shows how the evolution of football has changed. … Jaxson is just electric, and that’s what fans want to see. Fans are tired of seeing boring quarterback play. Although some of it really has to do with winning when it’s able to do both. And your football team.”
To get the most out of Dart, the Giants brought in John Harbaugh as their next head coach. They fired Brian Daboll during the offseason, and after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh was suddenly available, and the Giants wouldn’t let him slip through their fingers.
For Winston, the coaching offseason was as much of a kick-back-and-relax situation as there could be.
“I looked at what coach Mike Tomlin was going to do, what coach John Harbaugh was going to do, I got a chance to play for Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland and I know how passionate the AFC North is, so I knew we were going to be in good hands regardless,” Winston said.
John Harbaugh poses after a news conference announcing his hiring as the next New York Giants head coach at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, NJ on January 20, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images)
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And Winston sure knows his Giants history.
“I’ve always admired Coach Harbaugh. When you look at the history of the New York Giants, they’ve won with head coaches who facilitated good coaches around them – strong leaders with an old-school mentality. Bill Parcells is old school of the old school – he created a type of NFL head coach. Tom Coughlin is as old as it gets, which is what I wanted.”
“I was so happy when we hired John Harbaugh,” he added. “I was excited because I felt like he got it. He knows how to empower players and coaches. To have someone who understands the importance of building the best possible team — coaching staff, players, personnel — is exciting. I’m glad John brought his mojo to the New York Giants. We’re going to rock with him, fight for him and win some football games — that’s the most important thing.”
So how far can the Dart-Harbaugh tandem take this team?
Jameis Winston of the New York Giants warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 28, 2025.
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“We can win the Super Bowl. We can be in LA and play for Super Bowl LXI. That’s the minimum, that’s what we’re aiming for,” Winston said.
“But it comes with elite preparation, consistent dedication day in and day out, hard work and patience. It doesn’t happen overnight, but what you do every day adds up to the result we want. I’m very happy with the approach we’ve taken. But we’re going to win the Super Bowl. I hope you’re not counting my chickens, but what else are they going to say we’re going to hatch a Super Bowl, but sooner? And we can do it.”
