NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The new look of the New York Giants has a lot of people excited, including some on their own roster.
It’s been a rough decade for the Giants. Since winning Super Bowl XLVI, they have only had two seasons above .500, and after a surprise visit to the playoffs in 2022, they 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 1964-1980, is in the rearview mirror.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
New head coach John Harbaugh shakes hands with New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston during a press conference at the Quest Diagnostics training facility in East Rutherford on January 20, 2025. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Jameis Winston certainly believes so.
The longtime veteran thought he would only take snaps for the G-Men barring an injury to Dart’s young phenom, but at the very least he’s surely entertained by his play.
“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 reminds me of myself, because he’s tough, he’s not afraid, and he has this aura around him that makes everyone on our team root for him and root for him. It’s pretty cool,” Winston said of Dart to PK Press Club Digital.
“When I came into the league young, everything was more traditional. To see him run the way he does and be as decisive in the passing game as he is, it really shows how much the evolution of football has changed. … Jaxson is just electric, and that’s what fans want to see. Fans are tired of seeing a boring quarterback. Even though part of it has to do with winning, when you’re able to do both, it really elevates the organization 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 season, and after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh was suddenly available, and the Giants didn’t let him slip through their fingers.
For Winston, the offseason of training was as much of a relax and unwind situation as possible.
“I was watching what coach Mike Tomlin was going to do, what coach John Harbaugh was going to do, I was fortunate enough 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 press conference announcing his hiring as the next head coach of the New York Giants at the Quest Diagnostics training facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey on January 20, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images)
PATRICK MAHOMES SO OBSESSIVE ABOUT KNEE REHABILITATION HE TAKES A TRAINER WITH HIM WHEN HE LEAVES TOWN
And Winston certainly knows his history with the Giants.
“I’ve always admired Coach Harbaugh. When you look at the history of the New York Giants, they’ve won with head coaches who mentored great coaches around them – strong leaders with an old school mentality. Bill Parcells is old school of the old school – he created a mold for NFL head coaches. Tom Coughlin is as old school as it gets, the epitome of a great leader. That’s what I wanted.”
“I was so happy when we hired John Harbaugh,” he added. “I was excited because I felt like he gets it. He understands empowering players and coaches. Having someone who understands the importance of building the best team possible – coaches, players, staff – is exciting. I’m glad John brought his mojo to the New York Giants. We’re going to play with him, fight for him and win 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.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
“We can win the Super Bowl. We can be in Los Angeles playing Super Bowl LXI. That’s the minimum, that’s what we’re aiming for,” Winston said.
“But that comes with elite preparation, consistent dedication day in and day out, hard work and patience. It doesn’t happen in a single day, but what you do every day contributes to the outcome we want. I’m very happy with the approach we’ve taken. But we’re going to win the Super Bowl. I hope you don’t think of this as counting my chickens before they hatch, but what else should I say? I want us win a Super Bowl, and we can do it.”
