At this point in his career, everyone knows what Winston is as a quarterback. He’s liable to throw for 350 yards (or more) on a random Sunday, but he’s more likely to commit a couple of crushing turnovers. Sometimes, both happen in the same contest (see: Cleveland’s Week 13 loss with Winston at the helm at Denver last season). What’s most important, though, is the role Winston occupies in his team’s locker room — he’s somewhat of a vibes guy these days — and that’s precisely why the Giants are certain they want to keep him in 2025.

“With the way that he’s gone about his business from Day 1, he’s made it very intentional of the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul,” Brown explained. “Teammates love him. His preparation process, whether it’s the off field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible study, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together. Not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole.

“He’s also been a really good example of how to be a pro and handling business in terms of rehab, prehab, postgame care and stuff. Happy he’s here. He’s going to continue to do those things. He hasn’t wavered and he hasn’t been shaken by any distractions at all.”

Some veterans of Winston’s caliber might want to play for a team that features a chance to compete for a starting job, but at this stage in Winston’s career, he seems happy to occupy a place on an NFL depth chart. He’s found chances to take the field in previous stops, and while he’s usually played himself back out of those opportunities, his value to a team has rarely been questioned.

Then again, other teams in less stable situations at quarterback might be interested in his services. Preseason hasn’t been kind to a few backup candidates elsewhere and Winston can be considered an upgrade to a role that proves crucial once a starter goes down.

For now, the Giants don’t appear interested in being charitable. They’ll take their depth into 2025 as a sign of strength and won’t waste a second trying to mulling Winston’s trade value. After all, they could end up needing him, too.