Interim New York Giants head coach Mike Kafka has wasted little time in making his mark on the team, promoting Jameis Winston over Russell Wilson as likely starter against the Green Bay Packers this weekend.

Now an 11-year veteran after being selected first overall by Tampa Bay in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston has only served as the ‘emergency’ third quarterback for the Giants this season, with Wilson initially being named as the team’s starter before being supplanted by rookie Jaxson Dart.

However, with the former Ole Miss star having suffered a concussion in last weekend’s loss to the Chicago Bears, the Giants are having to prepare for the likelihood of him being sidelined this coming Sunday, forcing Kafka — who was named as interim HC following the firing of Brian Daboll on Monday — to make a decision on a replacement.

Winston has not played in a competitive NFL game since last December, when he made his seventh appearance for the Cleveland Browns, but Wilson’s lacklustre showing as replacement for Dart at Soldier Field last weekend has convinced Kafka that it is time to make a change to the pecking order, regardless of whether Dart passes concussion protocol.

The rookie has proven to be a revelation since being named as starter by Daboll in Week 4, and was selected as the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. Before his premature withdrawal in Chicago, Dart had scored two touchdowns on the ground, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history with a touchdown run in five consecutive games, breaking a tie with Cam Newton.

Winston has struggled to find a home since leaving the Buccaneers at the turn of the decade, having played for New Orleans and Cleveland before signing with the Giants in free agency earlier this year. He remains one of the few players in NFL history with a 5,000-yard passing season, achieved in 2019, when he also became the first player in league history to record back-to-back 450-yard games.