EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson was getting ready to check out of his hotel on Sunday in Florida. As he packed his bags during the team's bye week, he looked up at the television screen in the room.
There was Jameis Winston. There was Russell Wilson. Two-thirds of the Giants' quarterback room was on the desk of national pregame shows as guest hosts. Winston was with Fox's "NFL Kickoff" and Wilson CBS' "NFL Today."
"It was pretty funny," Robinson said. "I see Jameis on there and I was thinking Jameis is definitely going to have a career doing this. I caught a little bit of Russ. He's always so professional too. He's always like that. Expected nothing different from Russ. But, Jameis, I was like this is definitely going to be Jameis' career after football."
Winston was giving pep talks to the Fox crew and impersonating Giants legend and current Fox host Michael Strahan in between breaking down the actual slate of games.
It was a no-brainer to step into the Los Angeles studio during the Giants' bye week. New York returns to action on Sunday trying to snap a seven-game skid when the Giants host the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
"It was incredible," Winston said of the weekend. "Great experience just to get with the guys. They really create a team-like feeling, but it was fun. Just getting a chance to take advantage of the bye weekend in a great way. And talking football."
Winston raved about host Charissa Thompson, who was directing traffic and giving feedback all while setting everyone else up for success.
"She was the quarterback and she's a freaking hall of fame quarterback," he said. "She's awesome. You really don't realize."
It was all a learning experience for Winston. But the additional off-field opportunities aren't the reason Winston came to New York. He views those as fringe benefits.
Instead, Winston credits that decision to recently fired coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. But he knew the exposure certainly wouldn't hurt. Playing in the No. 1 media market can open a lot of doors.
The bye weekend could be a precursor to the next stage of his career, whenever that might be.
"It is something that I would love just because of the connection that it has with football," Winston said. "The respect that those men and women have earned throughout the course of their prospective careers, I would love to be a part of that crew. But you know how I roll. That was a fun week, fun day, but now it's back to football."
Winston, 31, started in recent weeks in place of injured rookie QB Jaxson Dart and threw a pair of touchdown passes and interceptions in two games where the Giants held a lead in the fourth quarter. He still believes there is plenty of football left in him and is signed through next season.
Wilson, 37, is later on in a potential Hall of Fame career. A broadcasting career may be on the horizon -- he has sat on the CBS desk before and done guest appearances with ESPN -- but he still seems like a quarterback intent on playing more.
"I threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns against Dallas. I can still flick it," he said. "I know I'm capable of it."
Wilson called that wild 40-37 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 one of the "favorite games" of his career. He said the Giants unfortunately just didn't win it despite taking the lead with 25 seconds left in regulation.
The veteran quarterback was benched two weeks later in favor of Dart, the first-round pick earlier this year. Winston later jumped Wilson on the depth chart.
When the time comes, Wilson believes he is equipped to handle sitting on a desk or in a booth. He has spent the past 14 years with a microphone in his face every day. That has given him plenty of first-hand experience in front of a camera.
Wilson knows he'll have to work at it, but he enjoyed talking football with the likes of Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher, former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan and ex-NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson and host James Brown in the CBS studios on Sunday. He believes seeing the game through the quarterback's eyes provides a unique and coveted perspective.
The benefits of being in New York are also not lost upon the veteran quarterback.
"I think it definitely helped, but it's not why I came here," Wilson said. "I came here because it was an opportunity to win. I wanted to win and now, unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that this year as a team. It's been a tough year in that way. But there's been a lot of amazing guys in this locker room that I thoroughly enjoy in terms of friendships and relationships and teammates."
At the moment, Wilson is focused on football. He's not contemplating his future, even if he perhaps got a taste of what it could be like on Sunday.
The Super Bowl winner seems unlikely to be back with the Giants next season. New York is expected to have Dart penciled in as the starter with Winston as his backup.
Wilson will have to assess his options this offseason. As the bye week showed, broadcasting may be one of them.