Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson must-see TV? Here's our review

Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston both signed free-agent contracts with the Giants with the primary goal of helping the team win games.

Neither of the quarterbacks has done that. Wilson started three games and Winston two, and all of them were losses.

But there were other unspoken benefits to coming here. On Sunday, a day the Giants didn’t play because of their bye week, both of the players were able to enjoy those secondary pursuits . . . ones that very soon might become full-time jobs.

Wilson appeared on CBS’ “NFL Today” pregame show from New York and Winston was on Fox’s “NFL Sunday” program from California, both dipping their cleats into the very edge of the broadcast world in the hopes that they someday might become the next to make what has become a rather routine jump from Big Blue to a screen near you.

The list of such players is as long as it is distinguished and includes everyone from Frank Gifford and Pat Summerall to Phil Simms, Michael Strahan and Eli Manning. But there are plenty of others, too. Lest you think championships are essential to this transition, Logan Ryan and Jason Sehorn turned their stints with the Giants into TV gigs. At least they were solid players, though. Heck, Jesse Palmer played eight games for the Giants, only three of them as a starter, and now he hands out roses and hosts baking competition shows.

Wilson and Winston have much better football credentials than Palmer. They’re just starting on their TV sizzle reels, but it’s easy to see a future for each of them suited up and in front of the cameras.

As one could have predicted, Wilson was the more cautious of the two on Sunday morning. His commentary came across as if it had been written by an A.I. bot: Clean, pleasant and colloquial but in such broad strokes that anyone could have recited the lines. There was no differentiating Wilson from any other Mr. Quarterback the show could have pulled in off the streets.

“You give [Courtland Sutton] a chance, he’s gonna make the play.”@DangeRussWilson talks to us about the Bo Nix x Courtland Sutton duo and the Broncos offense pic.twitter.com/9uA0GbWtZR

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 7, 2025

He seemed nervous at first, and it was strange to see him rushing through some of his ideas as he broke down the Broncos. Maybe it was because CBS had Wilson standing in front of a digital projection of his one apparent nemesis in the league, Denver coach Sean Payton, who benched and embarrassed him during their time together with that team.

It was during that segment on the Broncos that Wilson mentioned the epic comeback they pulled off against the Giants, but he never got into details about that night other than the fact that the Giants were up 19-0 before allowing 33 points in the fourth quarter. It was the only real reference to the Giants during the hour-long show.

Wilson spoke about several other teams but offered no real insights even when he had an opening to do so. During a conversation about the surging Panthers, he mentioned that their coach, Dave Canales, was his quarterbacks coach in Seattle, but he never told us why he has been able to bring the best out of Bryce Young this season. Wilson also showed an old picture of himself with Caleb Williams at a USC camp he hosted years ago, poking fun at his own dated baggy shorts look, but never got into what Williams was like back then . . . or now, really.

Over on the other network, Winston appeared for only one segment, but it at least allowed him to flex some of his bulging personality. The podcast-y tempo and chatty panelists talking over each other was much more conducive to his style; in that regard, the quarterbacks and the networks definitely matched each other wisely.

Jameis Winston is a national treasure. pic.twitter.com/tsGQF6Ux83

— Stephen S. Dwyer (@SDwyerEsq) December 7, 2025

Jameis Winston in-studio is even more electric than I thought he’d be. 🤣pic.twitter.com/ZoY8FC4ag0

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 7, 2025

Winston already has done work for Fox in the past, serving as their fun-loving ambassador during last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, so they knew what to expect from him this time.

Unlike  CBS, which seemed to go out of its way to avoid talking about the Giants with Wilson, Fox dived straight into it. Winston was ready.

“I’m comfortable in every room,” he said when asked about the dynamics in the Giants’ three-man quarterback room.

He was in this one, too.

He broke down his touchdown reception and ensuing celebration dances — yes, one play but multiple dances — with a fun nod to panelist Rob Gronkowski’s receiving abilities. After that, the talk turned to his teammates. He called Jaxson Dart “a young superstar” who is “tenacious and relentless.”

He even defended Dart’s choice to wear the diamond necklace that has drawn criticism from some (and apparently is not to the tastes of Terry Bradshaw). “That’s just the confidence he has,” Winston said. “He has a certain aura about him, a lot of people say essence.”

He also pointed out that the diamonds are in the shape of hearts, suddenly sounding more like Harry Winston than Jameis Winston. “He’s sharing love,” he said.

Winston also gave a nod to Wilson. “I’ll take every superpower that I can get from him,” he said. “His perspective, his wisdom and guidance is very beneficial for our team.”

And of course he mentioned himself.

“I be telling Coach: ‘Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to play!’ ”

From any other quarterback on any other team, that might have sparked a controversy. Imagine if Wilson had said that? From Winston, it was charming. That’s his superpower.

Winston was able to give a solid analysis of the defense for the Packers, a team he started against a month ago. It was disappointing that he could not identify the Dirty Bird or the Ickey Shuffle as famous touchdown dances from days gone by, but perhaps that was just to remind everyone that he’s still only 31 years old.

If there is a gripe with Winston’s appearance, it’s that it was too short. He never sat down at the desk. It barely seemed worth the cross-country flight to California for a mere handful of minutes of screentime.

It’s been an undeniably miserable season for the Giants, with countless injuries, multiple midseason firings and only two victories. Wilson and Winston  had breakout games against Dallas and Detroit, respectively, but their time here has been mostly failure.

Wilson began the year as the starter but has been demoted twice and  currently is the third-string option. It’s hard to envision him playing again after this season, although he says he wants to.

Winston figures to be back with the Giants next year as a backup and mentor to Dart, but given the changes that will take place with the coaching staff and perhaps the front office in the next few weeks, that’s far from guaranteed.

Those would have been the risks of coming to any team in any NFL city, the football not working out and their playing careers fizzling away. At least by signing here, they knew they were going to be one short step away from attaining a football afterlife on television.

On Sunday,  both showed that they know the rule of that transaction: No matter how bad things are with the Giants, when that red light goes on, it’s time to smile.