Saquon Barkley correctly predicted Jameis Winston’s Giants move before it happened

Saquon Barkley helped out Jameis Winston as he signed a two-year contract with the New York Giants, despite owning the third pick in draft.

Saquon Barkley correctly predicted Jameis Winston’s Giants move before it happened

Jameis Winston and Saquon Barkley (Image via IMAGO)

Saquon Barkley cut ties with the New York Giants but still played a hand in signing Jameis Winston. The QB penned a two-year $8 million deal with the NFC East team that may rise to $16 million if he fulfills certain conditions.

Winston played for the Cleveland Browns in 2024. They didn’t qualify for the playoffs, and he became a free agent, so FOX Sports snapped him up.

YouTube video

For a few days, he replaced Tom Brady as the poster boy of the network. The 31-year-old roamed around the film crew, creating content.

FS Video

During Super Bowl week, Winston spotted Saquon Barkley taking questions from the media. He took his shot.

Hey, one more question Saquon. In this free agency man. I am a free agent, I don’t really got no job. Who should sign me in the free agency?

Jameis Winston asked Barkley

An amused Saquon Barkley replied, “I think New York needs a quarterback… the Giants.”

Winston is the second quarterback the Giants signed during the free agency window. Earlier they re-signed Tommy DeVito to a one-year deal.

Jameis Winston wasn’t the first quarterback on the Giants’ radar

Winston suddenly outranks DeVito in seniority and game time. He will start games over the former Syracuse under center, but that doesn’t mean he was the Giants’ first choice at quarterback in the new season.

Saquon Barkley correctly predicted Jameis Winston’s Giants move before it happened
Jameis Winston (Image via IMAGO)

Following a disastrous 4-13 2024 season, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen aggressively pursued Aaron Rodgers. The New York Jets cut the veteran Super Bowl winner after two seasons, and similar to Winston, he too entered free agency.

For a significant amount of time, the Giants played tag with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings to sign Rodgers. However, the 41-year-old leaned more toward playing for the Steelers and the Vikings over a return to the Big Apple.

After Rodgers, the Giants thought about taking a chance with Joe Flacco. The former Jet was part of the Indianapolis Colts last year. The Colts didn’t re-sign Flacco, and he waited somewhere else. ESPN’s Field Yates reported that the 40-year-old met with the Giants, but nothing came of it.

In advance of their visit from Russell Wilson tomorrow, the Giants hosted free agent QB Joe Flacco on a visit today.

Field Yates wrote on X

A third Super Bowl winner entered the frame after Rodgers and Flacco. It was Russell Wilson.

Wilson left the Steelers after just one year and turned to the team that wanted him last year too before he chose Pittsburgh. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Wilson visited the Giants facility after failed talks with the Cleveland Browns.

Russell Wilson has really spent the last 24 hours or so in the New York area meeting with the Giants… got in early for some dinner to meet with some Giants folks throughout this process and as far as I know, he has not left yet. So it seems like it’s been a meeting that’s going well.

Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter

The visit turned out to be a dud. Mike Florio of the NBC Sports Pro Football Talk reported that Wilson left the Giants’ facility without signing any contract.

Will the Giants still draft a quarterback?

Jameis Winston edged out three Super Bowl winners to score a bag in New York. So, does that mean Daboll and Schoen are slowly moving away from the idea of drafting a quarterback?

A Giants executive reportedly told ESPN’s Jordan Reid recently that they are pushing for a quarterback in April’s draft.

The Giants are praying that Cleveland takes one of [Travis] Hunter [Colorado wide receiver] or [Abdul] Carter [Penn State pass rusher] because they’d [otherwise] miss out on a QB for the second straight year.

The anonymous executive said (H/T: FanSided)

Makes sense. The Giants hold the third overall pick, but the two best quarterbacks, Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, are tipped to be taken at the first and second spots by the Tennessee Titans and the Browns. Unless one of them changes their plans, the Giants should consider trading up and drafting one of the two.

Related: Najee Harris takes a jibe at former Steelers teammate Justin Fields after signing with the Chargers: “Didn’t know anything”