EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- They were on the sideline staring directly into the camera during the final preseason game. Jaxson Dart, the young and brash rookie quarterback, took one of his hands and put it in the shape of a sideways W. He turned toward veteran Jameis Winston and pretended to feed it to him.
This was Dart giving Winston his famous "eat a dub" gesture. After the game, Tommy DeVito joined Dart and Winston in a viral postgame video for the team where they were "Eating W's." DeVito had just thrown three touchdowns in what turned out to be his final game before the Giants cut him Tuesday, Dart led the team on an opening drive score to complete a pristine preseason and Winston tossed a long touchdown pass on his first attempt in the 42-10 win over the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Thursday.
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— New York Giants (@Giants) August 22, 2025
Everyone was enjoying the perfect preseason for the Giants, including "The Three Amigos" and "Three Tuddies," as Winston declared them. Their quarterback club actually had four members through the preseason, but veteran Russell Wilson didn't play in that preseason finale. He couldn't join the touchdown tossing party.
Much like the postgame video portrayed, the Giants' quarterback group is an interesting mix of characters, even without the fan favorite DeVito. And you never know what to expect, like the day when Winston showed up at a team meeting with a watermelon. He just sat with the watermelon, which he said was for his kids. He later had it cut up for the quarterback room to enjoy.
"That's Jameis Winston," Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt said.
Winston is the ultimate character. You never quite know what he's going to say or do. Wilson is much more predictable. He's the buttoned-up veteran beaming with optimism and serious about his business. Dart is the young first-round pick overflowing with aura.
It's quite the mix of backgrounds and personalities all deeply invested in the others' success.
"It's a really fun room to be a part of because it's super competitive that way," Dart said. "We have an amazing relationship between all of us.
"It's definitely fun. We're all each other's biggest fans when we're on the field."
General manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, who are 18-32-1 in three seasons and coming off a disastrous 3-14 campaign, are gambling their professional lives on this working. This is the group they put together in an offseason where it was undoubtedly a priority to rebuild the quarterback room.
Dart, who looked the part of franchise QB during a spectacular preseason, is the future. Every move is to make sure he's in the right environment to develop and grow all while the Giants are competitive enough to outrace the stench from last season's debacle.
"It's a good situation for all the guys," Daboll said.
THE GIANTS' QUARTERBACK pursuit this past offseason ran the gamut. They made a run at Matthew Stafford via trade, wanted to sign Aaron Rodgers or potentially trade for Cam Ward at the top of the draft. They took an extended look at several prospects, including Shedeur Sanders, but ultimately assessed them to be not a fit. When none of those options panned out, they pivoted.
Among the Giants' scenarios were signing two veteran quarterbacks. That would address the present need to win some games and compete now while simultaneously creating a solid environment to develop a rookie.
Winston signed first. Wilson landed in New York the following week, the Giants traded up to take Dart at the back end of the first round (25th) a month later and DeVito was the lone holdover.
"When you look at the quarterback room, it's completely different for the most part," assistant general manager Brandon Brown said. "In our offseason planning between Joe, [Daboll], [assistant head coach, offensive coordinator] Mike Kafka, Shea, we were very intentional in terms of getting the right pieces and creating the right environment. One for a young quarterback to grow in terms of Jaxson, but also to win on the field."
That meant adding veterans who can play and were good influences on a future franchise quarterback. Enter Wilson and his attention to detail.
There was a play in the Giants' second preseason game against the New York Jets where Wilson hit wide receiver Beaux Collins for an 80-yard gain that ended when Collins was tackled at the 1-yard line. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said he was jogging downfield and slowed just for a second. That's when Wilson reminded Eluemunor they needed to hurry. They were playing with speed and tempo.
"He has such a high standard," Eluemunor said. "He's been to the peak."
It's also not uncommon for the Giants receivers to receive weekly texts or calls about a detail for a route or the offense.
The Giants have been adamant about how Wilson's leadership has benefited the entire team. Wilson's presence has a completely different feel from that of seasons passed, that he has their full respect because he knows what it takes to be successful and win a Super Bowl.
"He's disgustingly consistent," wide receiver Darius Slayton said as a compliment.
Wilson's intentional work on and off the field has found space to include his fellow QBs. Winston, Dart and DeVito were guests at Wilson's Why Not You Foundation's $3 Million Dollar Dinner on the 50-yard line at MetLife Stadium just last week, enjoying the night out together.
Winston might be the vibes guy, but Tierney said he knows when it's time to work. Winston is regularly on the field after practice throwing to some of the younger wide receivers. He's often the last quarterback off the field. Teammates and coaches have stressed that Winston is invaluable to the locker room, especially with Dart.
Winston has taken Dart under his wing. Together they do yoga and late-night stretching and training. It's not unusual to see them working on unorthodox stretches in the weight room at 7 or 8 p.m.
"It's wild," Dart said of some of the stretching. "But why not try it?"
There is still an age and experience gap. Wilson (36) and Winston (31) are married with children. They sat together in a suite at a Yankees game with their families as recently as this past weekend. Dart (22) is a bachelor living in New Jersey. Wilson and Winston bring a different level of maturity and experience.
"I think he's growing every day," Wilson said recently of Dart. "I think the experience of him being around us two to be able to communicate with him -- there's like no secrets in the quarterback room -- we always share information and I think it's important that I help him in whatever way, if he has any questions or whatever. I think he's just learning every day, and I think it's fun.
"We're having a blast; we're all rooting for each other just to be better every day. We can continue to elevate our room, continue to elevate the team. We get better as a team. We want everybody to be great and that's what it's about."
COMPOSITION OF QUARTERBACK rooms varies around the league. There is no magic formula for success. It's contingent on the individuals.
Daboll was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo and Schoen the assistant general manager when they didn't have a Super Bowl winner around Josh Allen during his rookie year with the Bills.
They had Nathan Peterman, Derek Anderson and Matt Barkley.
Kafka saw a young Patrick Mahomes spend his rookie season with steady veteran Alex Smith and Tyler Bray, when he was the offensive quality control coach for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2017 season.
Most recently in New York, Daniel Jones shared a QB room with Super Bowl-winner Eli Manning and Alex Tanney, now the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Manning thinks this quarterback room can be a good mix.
"I think having different personalities in a quarterback room is good," he said.
"There are different ways you can do it. There are different ways to play quarterback. Different approaches, different mindsets. To have all those styles in the room to discuss those things helps. I think the more insight you have and people who have done it and be successful or made mistakes also because you learn from those mistakes, is good for a QB room."
The Giants have a similar line of thinking. Brown said last week he appreciated teams' interest in acquiring Winston in a trade but the Giants had no intention of trading him. Winston has value to the team beyond what he simply does on the field, such as "galvanizing the group."
Winston is also signed through 2026. In a perfect world, the Giants would like for him to be Dart's backup next season. Then they wouldn't have to address the quarterback position in the offseason. They would be set.
In the meantime, Winston and Wilson can serve as positive influences on Dart.
"Experience is always important, and those guys provide, I'd say, a wealth of knowledge," Daboll said. "Could be on a specific play, could be a situation, could be how they take care of their body, could be their preparation during the week as they're getting ready to play a game. It could be how they go through the calls on a call sheet and he's listening. I mean, there's so many things that position has to do. That's why they meet more than any other group."
And so it's vital to make sure they put together the right mix of characters -- for the sake of Daboll's and Schoen's jobs and the future of the franchise.