This offseason has been a whirlwind for New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston for all the fun, right reasons.
Last Friday, after the former Florida State star and No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft finished his side day job for Fox Sports, following the U.S. Men’s National Team’s 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle, Winston made his way up the road to Husky Stadium.
It started with a photo posted by Washington Huskies freshman wide receiver Jordan Clay, posing with the 11-year NFL veteran—who began his career with Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015-19) before spending time with the New Orleans Saints (2020-23), Cleveland Browns (2024) and now with the Giants (2025-present)—after appearing to have caught a few passes from Winston, who shared a collage of photos to his personal Instagram on Monday that featured him throwing passes inside Husky Stadium.
Looks like NY Giants QB Jameis Winston stopped by Husky Stadium Friday evening after the US Men’s National Team’s 2-0 win over Australia
Photo via Washington freshman wide receiver Jordan Clay pic.twitter.com/BV84A1tVSj
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) June 20, 2026
The connection between Winston and Clay, UW coach Jedd Fisch, or other staffers isn’t apparent on the surface.
In that sense, it’s even more of a quiet statement that on any given day during the season or in the offseason, any NFL player can pop up around the 33rd NFL Team—a phrase Fisch coined when he arrived in Seattle, indicating his Big Ten program being a destination for college players to find a path to the professional level.
While Winston showing up relatively unannounced isn’t the personification of what Fisch meant by UW being the 33rd NFL team, it’s a mark of what the program may be on the precipice of achieving as a football haven in the Pacific Northwest.
It doesn’t hurt that Fox Sports is a major partner of the Big Ten Conference. This fall, the Huskies have back-to-back games against Iowa and at Purdue in October, with the potential for more games to come on Fox’s various platforms, including FS1.
Previously, other notable quarterbacks have randomly popped up on campus, including Robert Griffin III last year, who has also transitioned into a color commentary role since stepping away from the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: New York Giants Quarterback Stops by Washington Football
