As the NFL quarterback carousel begins to spin, the pointer keeps returning to Wilson as the best short-term option for the quarterback-needy New York Giants.
It’s no secret that the New York Giants want their 2025 quarterback room to consist of two types of players: an experienced veteran NFL signal caller and a talented rookie with franchise-player upside.
With the free agency period just around the corner, discussions about who the Giants should target as their 2025 bridge quarterback have only intensified. The franchise is reportedly interested in meeting with Aaron Rodgers once the Jets release him, and the Giants are also thought to be interested in Steelers veteran Russell Wilson.
Of all the options, Wilson, who met with the Giants last year before moving on to the Steelers after reprotedly being told that the Giants starting quarterback job at the time would go to Daniel Jones once he was fully recovered from a torn ACL, makes the most sense for the Giants.
Yes, Wilson 37 years old and nowhere near what he once was during his prime seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
However, Wilson is a consummate professional who understands his role, knows his limitations, and presents an ability to still sling the deep ball with the best of them when given the chance.
Wilson probably won’t cost the Giants a crazy penny like Darnold would and isn’t recovering from a season-ending injury. Spotrac projects Wilson to land a two-year, $77 million contract, less than the $90-$100 million the Giants were reportedly set to pay for Matthew Stafford.
At $38 million per year, Wilson would be the 15th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL and not take a huge chunk out of New York’s cap space. For a team in dire need of talent for various holes, such a contract is crucial to the goal.
The roster fit is also important. Wilson doesn’t have the mobility he once did, but he can still move better than Rodgers and deliver the ball on time with regularity. Both aspects are vital to the team’s immediate success as the offensive line grows game-by-game.
In Wilson’s last season with the Steelers, he completed nearly 64% of his passes for 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.
While the team lost in the Wild Card playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens, he did go 20/29 for 270 yards and two touchdown passes once the game plan was forced to expand due to trailing by double digits.
At this point in his career, Wilson has shown he can help win a football game, even though his arm isn’t what it used to be, and his ability to improvise has waned.
Wilson would serve as a placeholder for the offense until the team is ready to see what they have in whichever young quarterback they eventually draft.
In the interim, Wilson, who has been to the Super Bowl and knows what it takes to win, can be the voice of influence and mentorship for whoever New York drafts as they slowly turn the page to a new era of Giants football.