Mike Kafka has made his first significant decision as the Giants interim head coach. He has made a change to the quarterback depth chart, and Jameis Winston will start if Jaxson Dart is unavailable on Sunday against the Packers at MetLife Stadium, The Post confirmed.
The breakout rookie Dart remains in concussion protocol. The expectation is he will not clear the protocol in time to be able to play this weekend.
Winston moves ahead of Russell Wilson, who started the first three games this season and then served as Dart’s backup.
Winston was designated as an inactive player/third quarterback in every game this season, meaning he could only enter the game if the first two quarterbacks were injured.
Dart went down near the end of the third quarter in last Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Bears in Chicago after he ran with the ball, fumbled, was hit from behind and hit his head on the ground. He played the first two snaps of the fourth quarter and then headed into the blue medical tent for observation.
Jameis Winston may make his first Giants appearance this season. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Kafka, 38, has been the Giants’ offensive coordinator since he was hired by Brian Daboll in 2022. Daboll was fired Monday, with the Giants at 2-8 for the third consecutive season and on a four-game losing streak. Kafka on Wednesday will conduct his first practice in his new role and he will do it with a new quarterback as the starter.
Wilson, a 36-year old, 14-year veteran, has looked alarmingly bad in his time on the field. He went 0-3 as a starter, with his only strong performance a three-touchdown, 450-yard eruption in Dallas in a game the Giants should have won but lost 40-37 in overtime.
His other two starts were poor. Last week, Wilson was forced onto the field early in the fourth quarter when Dart left with a concussion. Wilson completed 3 of 7 passes for 45 yards and was sacked twice. The passing game collapsed with him running the operation.
Russell Wilson (left) walks off the field after the Giants’ loss to the Bears on Nov. 12, 2025. for the NY POST
Winston has been a strong presence in the locker room, conferring with his new teammates on a regular basis. His sometimes goofy persona in front of a camera belies a serious side to him that he shows inside the building. He has been especially helpful to Dart.
Winston, 31, is 36-51 as a starter in his 10-year NFL career. He started seven games for the Browns in 2024 and signed with the Giants this past offseason, receiving a two-year contract for $8 million. He has 154 touchdowns and 111 interceptions.
