The New York Giants signed veteran quarterback Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million deal Friday in a move that will have a massive ripple effect on the Chicago Bears' first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Giants currently hold the third overall pick in the 2025 draft, and, until now, were one of the wildcard teams selecting ahead of Chicago, who own the 10th pick.
New York's desperate search for a quarterback has made them a potential landing spot for Cam Ward (Miami) or Shedeur Sanders (Colorado). However, with Ward likely going first overall to the Tennessee Titans and Sanders' first-round stock on the decline as of late, expectations were that the Giants would go into the darkness for Aaron Rodgers or get unlimited with Russell Wilson.
If either Rodgers or Wilson ended up with the Giants, there would've been a stronger argument against New York selecting Sanders in the first round, especially if they aren't convinced he has the traits to be a franchise quarterback. But with Winston winning the veteran quarterback derby for Big Blue, the odds GM Joe Schoen selects Prime TIme's son have gone way up.
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For the Bears, that means two quarterbacks will be picked in the nine picks ahead of them, which guarantees one of the currently mocked top-10 prospects who consistently comes off the board before Chicago's selection will fall. It also means the Bears' pick could become a valuable trade destination for a team looking to move up for QB3 in this year's draft, perhaps Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart.
Winston was the first overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and has had some flashes of franchise quarterback potential over the last 10 years. But his propensity for turning the ball over has lowered his ceiling to being a bridge quarterback at best. He's likely to serve in that role for the Giants as a rookie first-round passer gets his NFL legs under him.
The Chicago Bears were already sitting pretty at No. 10 overall before Winston inked his deal with New York. Now, they're on the verge of getting enriched by a 2025 NFL Draft prospect who, but for teams reaching on quarterbacks in the top five, would never have fallen.
