Russell Wilson

Some Giants Personnel Preferred Jameis Winston To Russell Wilson

July 2nd, 2025 at 7:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Russell Wilson remains penciled in as the Giants QB1, even after the team used a first-round selection on Jaxson Dart. However, if anyone was going to unseat Wilson from his unofficial starting gig, it’d likely be another notable name on the depth chart.

As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, there are some inside the franchise who preferred Jameis Winston to Wilson. Specifically, the Winston proponents were focused on how the two acquisitions “came off in their visits” with the franchise before putting pen to paper.

To Wilson’s credit, he’s been putting in work on building a rapport with his new teammates. Per Schwartz, the QB has gone into “overdrive” as he tries to build relationships with his new squad. The veteran also drew praise for his showing at spring practices, although he’ll obviously only be judged on his performance during the regular season.

The two veterans signed within a week of each other, but the Giants have made it clear all along that Wilson will lead the depth chart and Winston will serve as the QB2. Wilson, of course, brings the track record and recent starting experience. The former Super Bowl champ has continued to start in his post-Seahawks career, including stints with the Broncos and Steelers. He’s only gone 17-24 over those three seasons, and it’s fair to wonder how short of a leash he’ll have in New York as Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen remain on the hot seat.

Winston doesn’t bring the same recent starting experience as his new teammate. Since leaving the Buccaneers after the 2019 season, the former first-overall pick has started only 17 games across five years. He went 5-2 with the Saints in 2021, but he’s since gone 3-7 in his last 10 starts. While Winston seemed to temporarily curb his turnover issues in New Orleans, he’s seen his interception rate come in at 4.4 percent over the past three years.

Both options are relatively uninspiring, especially for a Giants regime that’s on the brink of losing their jobs. Dart represents the unknown, and on most squads, it wouldn’t be surprising for a coach to eventually give their rookie a shot. In New York, it sounds like Dart may have to leapfrog two veterans if he has any hope of starting in 2025.

Russell Wilson Asked Broncos For Fully Guaranteed Deal, Irked NFLPA Boss By Accepting Less

June 24th, 2025 at 9:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFLPA’s grievance aimed at proving NFL owners colluded to prevent other teams from matching the Browns’ fully guaranteed Deshaun Watson extension did not produce a win. A ruling by an independent arbitrator earlier this year did not find sufficient evidence to determine collusion definitively occurred.

But an investigation from veteran reporter Pablo Torre revealed a trove of information regarding some recent quarterback negotiations and the fallout they produced. The Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast’s report addresses the Cardinals’ 2022 Kyler Murray talks and the Ravens’ first wave of Lamar Jackson negotiations. It also delves into the Broncos’ seminal discussions with their then-hopeful long-term QB solution.

While the NFLPA could not ultimately prove collusion, the investigation featured System Arbitrator Christopher Droney concluding (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio), “There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting.”

Based on the blowback Jimmy and Dee Haslam received from owners upon agreeing to an ultimately disastrous Watson extension (five years, $230MM fully guaranteed), little doubt existed about owners’ desire to prevent such a deal from happening again. A key chapter in this saga occurred in Denver during Russell Wilson‘s summer 2022 extension talks.

Wilson arrived in Denver as the franchise’s biggest swing during a near-decade-long effort to find a long-term Peyton Manning replacement. The Broncos had tried free agents (Case Keenum), early-round draft choices (Paxton Lynch, Drew Lock) and lower-level trade acquisitions (Joe Flacco, Teddy Bridgewater) but did not see any of them become the primary starter for more than a season. Former seventh-rounder Trevor Siemian made the most starts for the team between its Super Bowl 50 victory and the conclusion of the 2021 season. Enter Wilson, whose trade to Denver emerged hours after Aaron Rodgers — a multiyear Broncos target after the future Hall of Famer had listed the team as an acceptable destination amid a standoff with Packers management — agreed to stay in Green Bay.

Through Torre and Florio’s pursuit, the NFLPA’s collusion case is now public (via Florio). A notable section of the case covers Wilson testimony indicating he requested a fully guaranteed seven-year extension from the Broncos that covered around $50MM per year. That would have covered around $350MM and reminded of a baseball contract. Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, has otherwise repped MLB talent. The camp also drove hard bargains in Seattle during 2015 and 2019 negotiations; the Seahawks not wanting to partake in another round of re-up talks helped influence the trade.

Rodgers had just moved the QB market to $50MM per year via his March 2022 Packers extension, but that complex deal had been, as it turned out, designed to be traded rather than fully bringing the market to the $50MM-AAV place. It took until Jalen Hurts‘ April 2023 extension to move the barrier beyond $50MM on a long-term deal, as the Broncos and Wilson agreed on an accord just south of that place.

Wilson and the Broncos agreed on a five-year, $245MM pact in September 2022. The team’s ownership change, approved in August 2022, delayed an extension from becoming final. Wilson viewed the Broncos as “getting cold feet” regarding a fully guaranteed deal after acquiring him.

Communication uncovered via the investigation indicate Rich Hurtado, the Broncos’ VP of football administration and chief negotiator, emailed GM George Paton a series of talking points ahead of the latter’s meeting with incoming CEO Greg Penner. In the email, Hurtado said he believed the Broncos held leverage in Wilson talks and that he could not foresee another team going to the fully guaranteed well the Browns did with Watson.

Watson held unique leverage due to four finalists (the Browns, Falcons, Panthers and Saints) having agreed on trade terms with the Texans. Cleveland won out, after previously being eliminated, due to the whopping guarantee proposal. Wilson was tied to one team, and the Broncos — via the QB’s Seahawks deal (four years, $140MM) — had their new centerpiece player signed through the 2023 season. The franchise tag, which has been a key tool in efforts to limit players during its three-plus-decade history, also served as a tool the Broncos could have used down the line.

Another notable nugget from the Wilson sector of the report involves a Penner handwritten note questioning why the Broncos needed to force the issue with Wilson in 2022. The incoming boss cited the two years remaining on the Seahawks-constructed deal as a reason the Broncos did not need to extend him immediately. Paton had also informed Wilson’s agent a Watson-level guarantee was a “nonstarter.”

In an email sent from Penner to two other members of the Broncos’ ownership group, Penner said Paton informed him the Broncos’ final proposal, regarding guarantees, was “far less than Watson,” and addressed the “benchmark” it set for the rest of the NFL regarding future negotiations. Penner also stated, when forwarding one of the Broncos’ Wilson offers to some in the Broncos ownership ranks, nothing in the deal “other owners would consider off market.”

At the time, the Broncos were believed to want to beat the QB market to the punch by extending Wilson in 2022. Wilson’s concerning play that season made that a poor decision. Wilson received $124MM fully guaranteed — a number still relevant to the Broncos due to the $84MM-plus dead money bloodbath that ensued because of the declining QB’s March 2024 release — but that number checking in so far south of Watson’s $230MM irked then-NFLPA president J.C. Tretter.

In texts with former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith on July 8, 2024, Tretter lampooned Wilson (via Torre) for not pushing harder for a fully guaranteed Broncos deal. “Instead of being the guy that made guaranteed contracts the norm, he’s the guy that ruined it for everyone,” Tretter said.

This exchange came after Tretter’s time as NFLPA president had ended; the union elected linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin as its new leader on March 8, 2024. Lloyd Howell succeeded Smith on June 28, 2023. (However, Howell had named Tretter as the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer by that point.) It is not exactly shocking to learn an NFLPA power broker was upset at a player not setting an impactful precedent — one that could have given other marquee players a gateway to land NBA- or MLB-style fully guaranteed contract structures — but Torre reports one of the texts referred to Wilson as a “wuss” for failing to do move his effort past the goal line.

Leadership referring to one of its players as such is obviously notable due to the responsibility the union holds. Part of the reason this document did not surface until now stemmed from Tretter not wanting this text exchange to be made public, Torre reports, citing NFLPA sources. This text exchange also impacted the collusion case as a whole, as Torre adds owners used Tretter’s Wilson remarks as evidence no ownership collusion took place.

Wilson did not live up to the trade return the Broncos sent the Seahawks, but the potential Hall of Fame passer has done incredibly well regardless of that two-year stint or failing to land a fully guaranteed Denver deal. Wilson has earned more than $313MM in his 13-year career. The Broncos are still carrying $32MM in dead money from Wilson’s post-June 1 cut, which came after he and the team feuded over a failed Paton effort to move his guarantee vesting date from 2024 to 2025. Wilson did step up in a precedent-setting effort on this front, a move that also protected him from potentially losing money.

Denver has moved on, via its Bo Nix draft investment, while Wilson signed with the Giants in late March. The Broncos would have tumbled into in a Browns-like abyss had they agreed on the QB’s short-lived full guarantee quest. Had the early Wilson momentum for a fully guaranteed extension — amid a desperate period for the Broncos at quarterback — succeeded, Nix probably is elsewhere. Like the Browns with Watson, the Broncos would have been unable to realistically move on due to the dead money consequences on a fully guaranteed deal.

The AFC West franchise succeeding in not matching the Browns’ guarantee structure for Wilson also helped future teams avoid such commitments, as a host of $50MM-per-year (and one $60MM AAV, via Dallas) contracts have been agreed to without coming close to Watson’s guarantee number since the Wilson-Broncos talks wrapped.

Russell Wilson “Really Wanted To Play” With Malik Nabers

June 24th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Russell Wilson‘s free agency didn’t feature a long list of suitors, but the QB still had a handful of options during the early stages of the offseason. Ultimately, the veteran landed with the Giants, and he said the presence of their top receiver had a major influence on his decision.

During an appearance at Fanatics Fest last weekend, Wilson said Malik Nabers was the main reason he ultimately signed with the Giants.

“I came here because of him,” Wilson said (via Empire Sports Media’s Anthony Rivardo). “I really wanted to play with someone who is special like him.”

It’s easy to understand Wilson’s affection for the young receiver. Even as the Giants shuffled through three different quarterback starters, Nabers continued to put up big numbers.

He ended up setting the NFL rookie record for receptions (109), and he finished his first professional season with 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. With some consistency under center, there’s hope the former sixth-overall pick can take another leap in 2025.

Even as the Steelers continued to be linked to Aaron Rodgers, Wilson remained interested in returning for a second season in Pittsburgh. The Browns were also mentioned as a potential landing spot, as the quarterback ended up taking a visit to Cleveland. Ultimately, Wilson landed in New York, a move that seemed like a long time coming.

The Giants were a consideration for Wilson as he determined his post-Seahawks options, although Seattle ultimately sent their franchise quarterback to the Broncos. Then, when Wilson hit free agency last offseason, he briefly flirted with the Giants before eventually landing in Pittsburgh.

Wilson is finally in New York, and it sounds like he won’t face any competition for his starting spot to begin the 2025 campaign. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Wilson was spotted taking every first-team rep during OTAs. The QB1 competition would presumably come from first-round rookie Jaxson Dart, although it sounds like the organization intends to keep the Ole Miss product on the bench for the 2025 campaign. Jameis Winston was brought in as a high-quality QB2, and the Giants will also have to determine what they’re going to do with former part-time starter Tommy DeVito.

Russell Wilson Expects To Remain Giants’ Starting QB

June 6th, 2025 at 10:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants made a pair of short-term quarterback additions during free agency. It came as no surprise, however, when they moved back into the first round to select Jaxson Dart.

The No. 25 pick certainly represents New York’s future under center. The status of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will depend in no small part on Dart’s development, but if all goes according to plan that will not include regular season action in 2025. Daboll confirmed after the draft that Russell Wilson remains on track to handle QB1 duties this season. The 36-year-old echoes that thought.

“It doesn’t change anything at all,” Wilson said of the Dart decision and his preparation for the coming campaign (via the Associated Press through Fox Sports). “I think the biggest thing for me is just being my best every day, leading. I always think about just leading everybody, just leading every room, every moment, every time I get to step between the white lines and the opportunity of that.”

Wilson expressed a desire to remain in Pittsburgh after his single season atop the depth chart. The Steelers showed interest in retaining at least one of he or Justin Fields, but the latter wound up being seen as more of a priority. In the end, both departed on the open market, with Wilson taking a one-year Giants pact. That contract – which came about after team and player showed interest in one another last offseason – has a base value of $10.5MM and includes another $10.5MM in incentives.

As expected given those terms, Wilson said one month before the draft he viewed himself as the Giants’ starter. Jameis Winston (who inked a two-year deal) and Tommy DeVito (who has made a total of eight starts across his two years in the league) were also in place at the time he stated his position. Dart has since joined that group, meaning one of Winston or DeVito could fail to survive roster cuts at the end of the summer.

In any event, Wilson’s level of play with his fourth career team will be critical in determining his outlook and that of the Giants’ regime. A Super Bowl-winning Seahawks tenure was followed by a short-lived run in Denver for Wilson. His one-and-done Steelers campaign produced middling results once the 10-time Pro Bowler was healthy, but stable play in New York could help the team take a step forward compared to last season.

Training camp will of course provide Dart with the opportunity to see game action earlier than planned. Wilson’s stance remains that he will enter the summer atop the depth chart, though, and it will be interesting to see if he will mange to retain that spot.

Giants Draft Fallout: Wilson, Dart, Daboll, Sanders, Schoen, Browns, Rams, Pack, Vikes

April 25th, 2025 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Post-draft, Brian Daboll confirmed Russell Wilson will remain the Giants‘ starter entering the season. Considering Jaxson Dart‘s profile, it should not be expected the former Ole Miss and USC passer would have a good chance to overtake Wilson before the season. But Daboll and GM Joe Schoen’s New York fates are almost definitely tethered to Dart now.

After passing on Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix last year, the Giants traded three Day 2 picks to land Dart at No. 25. They did not view any of the non-Cam Ward QBs in this class as worthy of No. 3 overall, where Abdul Carter went as expected. But the decision to go with Dart over Shedeur Sanders provided a signature sequence during this draft’s opening night.

A pre-draft report indicated the Giants were split on Sanders (as the Dart pairing gained steam), and while the QB still had support in the building going into the draft, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan indicates the Colorado prospect’s momentum cooled as the coaches became involved in the evaluation process. Rumblings of Daboll preferring Dart look to have been accurate. The Giants did more work on Sanders compared to Dart, per the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard, who indicates Schoen scouted on in-person Dart performance. Conversely, a pre-draft assessment tabbed the fourth-year Giants GM as having “lived in Boulder.”

It would appear Daboll drove the bus for Dart, as Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz offers, and teams’ reported issues with Sanders’ attitude look to have included a Giants encounter. A Daboll-Sanders pre-draft meeting did not go well, according to The Ringer’s Todd McShay (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy). A quarterback who had entered the pre-draft process as a fairly safe top-10 pick fell out of the first round, with Giants and Steelers decisions defining the second-generation NFL prospect’s night. The Steelers chose Oregon D-lineman Derrick Harmon four picks before the Giants moved back into Round 1 for Dart.

The Giants initially contacted other teams about trading up, as Duggan adds Schoen saw some of his offers to move back up rejected. We heard midway through the first round the Giants had launched their effort to move back into Round 1 — a rumored pursuit that we now know was Dart-based — but he did not see the offers gain much traction until around 22.

The Steelers passing undoubtedly intensified the Giants’ effort to land their second-favorite QB in this class (after Ward trade efforts failed). The Chargers passed to draft Omarion Hampton, but the Texans allowed the Giants to move up three spots later. It cost the team Nos. 34, 99 and a 2026 third-round pick. The Giants held a second third-rounder this year, helping move the trade across the goal line.

Green Bay and Minnesota turned down trade offers for the Nos. 23 and 24 overall picks, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman and the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. It is safe to assume Schoen made calls to both NFC North teams, as he was leery of another QB-needy club swooping in. The Browns, Saints and Rams had been connected to making a move at this juncture of the draft, while the Steelers’ need remained after their Harmon pick.

Several teams made the Packers offers, Brian Gutekunst said. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said talks intensified shortly before his team’s No. 24 pick. In addition to the QB-needy lot, the Falcons were angling to move up for edge rusher James Pearce Jr., which they did (via the Rams) at No. 26. That move cost a first-round pick, while the Giants escaped without needing to part with their 2026 first.

New York’s move came in part because of a fear the Browns were eyeing Dart, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. Other teams shared this view, even though a draft-day report connected the Steelers, Rams and Saints to Dart. Though, the Browns were able to keep their Travis Hunter negotiations with the Jaguars quiet for weeks; they look to have done the same with Dart. Holding the top pick in Round 2 and a second selection three spots later (thanks to the Hunter swap), Cleveland now has its choice of the remaining QBs. The team could have put together an enticing package to move up, but it stood down. The Giants just made sure the AFC North club could not choose Dart. The Rams were not a factor for Dart, per Raanan and SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Although the Giants were still meeting on QBs this week, per Schoen, Leonard adds Daboll and Dart had begun texting daily after the Giants sent a sizable contingent to Ole Miss’ mid-March pro day. That communication understandably cooled before the draft, leaving Dart in the dark, but he will be asked to do what Daniel Jones could not. (That said, Jones was still a six-year Giants starter.) His tenure, however, moved Daboll and Schoen to the hot seat. Considering Jones was a Dave Gettleman pick, it had always seemed logical — despite the Wilson and Jameis Winston signings — this regime would tab its QB in this draft.

The Giants will aim to give Dart a full-season redshirt, Duggan adds. A previous plan did not get off the ground, as Jones replaced Eli Manning in Week 2 of his rookie season. Wilson’s post-Seattle play also may not be enough to hold off Dart, but the RPO-based college passer will almost definitely require some in-season acclimation time. Calls for the rookie will likely be loud, especially as the Giants’ schedule includes eight games against the NFC North and AFC West — not to mention the four against the teams that played for the NFC title last season.

The Schoen-Daboll regime also stands to be eager to sink or swim with a quarterback it drafted, rather than allow Wilson to steer the ship too far off course while John Mara evaluates the current power structure’s future. Going into training camp, however, Wilson will have a firm grip on the job. This will be new territory for the potential Hall of Famer, however, as he has not needed to fend off a highly drafted rookie previously.

Latest On Giants’ QB Situation; Team Convinced Path To Cam Ward Is Closed?

April 2nd, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Assembling an interesting quarterback room by signing Russell Wilson less than a week after bringing in Jameis Winston, the Giants have protected themselves — to a degree — ahead of a draft that would have otherwise featured a glaring need for the team. From a long-term perspective, however, that need remains going into the draft.

The Giants face the prospect of needing a young quarterback in a draft that could see its top two options — neither of which drawing prospect evaluations comparable to the 2024 class’ top arms — gone by the time the team goes on the clock at No. 3 overall. The Giants are “convinced” they will be unable to trade up for Cam Ward, Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano notes, while some internal concerns appear to exist regarding Shedeur Sanders‘ availability.

Ward-Titans ties have strengthened in recent weeks, pointing the Miami prospect to Tennessee at No. 1. The Browns have been closely linked to Abdul Carter at No. 2, keeping the door open for a Giants-Sanders partnership. But Vacchiano adds the Giants “seem convinced” the Browns will take Sanders at 2. Although some around the league are not certain the Giants would even draft the two-year Colorado QB at 3, the team not having the option would create a situation where Wilson does not face a significant challenge for first-string work this season.

Rumblings about Giants interest in moving up to No. 1 surfaced around the Combine, a year after Joe Schoen began an effort to see what it would take to trade from No. 6 to No. 3 — an effort centered around Drake Maye. The Patriots passed on a strong offer, drafting Maye for themselves, and the Giants then punted on Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. A year later, Schoen and Brian Daboll are clinging to their jobs. Decision-makers on hot seats — after three years tied to Daniel Jones — have a chance to take a quarterback, but this has long represented a shaky draft to need one. Even Ward has been mentioned as carrying value south of last year’s first-round sextet, and Vacchiano adds Ward might have been the only one of this year’s options who would have been a top-five QB in the 2024 class.

That may reflect Ward’s rising value, but the Giants are in a difficult spot. Sanders is drawing some second-round grades from teams, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets, though that is not a universally held opinion regarding last year’s Division I-FBS completion percentage leader. Still, Sanders has seen significant questions emerge about his landing spot. Though, the second-generation NFL prospect is viewed as unlikely to fall out of the top 10.

For now, the Giants have Wilson set to assume the controls. Wilson received tremendous input into the Broncos’ 2022 offense, a doomed effort overseen by one-and-done HC Nathaniel Hackett, and drew the ire of Sean Payton on a few occasions in 2023. Wilson then clashed with Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh, though the veteran QB was still interested in a second Steelers contract before committing to the Giants on a one-year, $10.5MM deal. Daboll will now attempt to coach the potential Hall of Famer; the fourth-year Giants HC said (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he watched more than 7,500 Wilson plays to determine if the two could work together.

“He makes good decisions with the football,” Daboll said of Wilson, via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. “He’s athletic. He’s a little bit older, so maybe not as athletic as ’13, ’14, but certainly has the ability to use his legs, extend plays, create explosive plays, phenomenal deep ball thrower.”

It does sound like Daboll will tweak his offense for Wilson, who received an offer during his mid-March visit, Schoen said (via the Post’s Paul Schwartz). It took 12 more days for the Giants to sign him, as they continued to wait on Aaron Rodgers. Although performance and playing-time incentives can vault the contract value to $21MM, Duggan adds Wilson checks in at barely $11MM on New York’s cap sheet due to the incentives being classified as not likely to be earned.

As could be expected, Schoen said (via NFL.com) the Giants will not rule out drafting a QB at 3. A report that surfaced just before their Wilson signing did indicate an openness to going elsewhere at 3 and circling back to quarterback later. While passing on Sanders would invite significant risk, the Giants would have other options in Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe or Syracuse product Kyle McCord. Dart, however, would likely require the Giants to trade back into Round 1 from their No. 34 spot.

Regardless of the Giants’ plan, Schoen and Daboll will likely enter the season at risk of being fired before year’s end. If they cannot land Sanders — a player some around the league believe the team wants — the power brokers’ fates will largely rest on Wilson, who will turn 37 in November.

If the Giants do end up with Carter or Travis Hunter at 3, internal fears about the next regime reaping the benefits will surely affect this decision, calling into question John Mara‘s decision to stay with Schoen and Daboll after a 3-14 season. Then again, the Giants’ Dave Gettleman regime helped out Schoen’s by acquiring a 2022 first-round pick to move down (in the Justin Fields trade process) in 2021.

Winston is signed for two seasons, but his status could become murky if Sanders arrives. The Giants still guaranteed some of Winston’s 2026 salary; the 11th-year vet’s two-year, $8MM deal calls for a $5.25MM guarantee at signing, Duggan tweets. Elsewhere on the roster, Duggan adds the Greg Van Roten deal is worth $3.8MM ($2.45MM guaranteed at signing). Linebacker Chris Board signed a two-year, $5.7MM deal that features $3.55MM at signing, per Duggan.

Russell Wilson Expects To Be Giants’ Starting QB

March 31st, 2025 at 10:45am CST by Nikhil Mehta

MARCH 31: To little surprise, Giants general manager Joe Schoen confirmed at the league meetings on Monday (via Dunleavy’s colleague Paul Schwartz) Wilson will operate as the team’s starter when offseason workouts begin in the near future. It remains to be seen if the upcoming draft will include the addition of a rookie under center, but Wilson will receive the first opportunity to lock down the QB1 gig in New York.

MARCH 26: Russell Wilson signed in New York planning to take over as the Giants’ starting quarterback. His contract, as well as the team’s other moves this offseason, tell a different story.

“I expect to be the starter,” said Wilson at his introductory press conference (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “I think this team is looking for someone to lead them in every way.”

Was Wilson promised the first crack at the starting job, or was he declaring his intention to earn it?

His one-year contract with a base value of $10.5MM suggests the latter. That would be the lowest salary of any starting quarterback not on their rookie contract. Justin Fields is expected to start for the Jets at a $20M APY, and Daniel Jones signed with the Colts for $14MM to compete with Anthony Richardson for the starting gig.

Wilson’s deal also includes another $10.5MM of incentives, $7.5MM of which are “based on a variety of play-time, performance, and playoff incentives,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The remaining $3MM can be earned on a per-game basis if Wilson plays more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps and the Giants win.

In other words, Wilson’s contract will only reach starter-level money if he starts and succeeds. Staying at his base value would make him an expensive backup, but that would mean the Giants have a much cheaper starter in Winston or a rookie.

Winston’s deal is worth $8MM over two years with another $8MM available via incentives with triggers that have yet to be reported. Given Wilson’s incentive structure, it will be impossible for both quarterbacks to reach the maximum values of their deals.

The veterans’ earning potential could also be threatened by a rookie quarterback, should the Giants choose to go that route in the draft. Wilson has frequently been tagged as a potential mentor for a rookie, but he doesn’t see his role in the same light, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. He’s in New York to win football games.

“If we draft a quarterback, we’ll make sure he does everything he can to be ready to go,” said Wilson (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). “But for me it’s about the process of winning. I’m focused on winning as the QB of the Giants to help us win.”

Browns Were Not Interested In Long-Term Russell Wilson Commitment; Latest On Team’s QB Plans

March 30th, 2025 at 10:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Russell Wilson‘s 2025 free agent process ended with a Giants deal. The Super Bowl winner sees himself as the team’s starter, and he could very well wind up atop the depth chart if New York does not use a high draft pick on a passer in April.

Wilson also visited the Browns earlier this month, opening the door to a Cleveland agreement. That did not seem as likely as a Giants pact, though, so Wilson’s ultimate decision came as little surprise. A one-year commitment to the 36-year-old could very well produce a run of starts and another deal being worked out next offseason in New York’s case.

While the Browns also themselves in need of a long-term solution under center, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com writes they viewed Wilson strictly as a bridge option. As a result, negotiations on a contract did not last particularly long, with the longtime Seahawk preferring an option where he would not face as much competition for a starting gig. New York had already added Jameis Winston on a two-year pact, and the team could draft a quarterback at some point next month; nevertheless, Wilson is currently on track to handle QB1 duties at this point.

Cleveland has Deshaun Watson on the books for two more years, but his second Achilles tear leaves him in danger of missing most or all of the 2025 campaign. That leaves trade acquisition Kenny Pickett in place to compete for the starting role this offseason. The top QB selected in the 2022 draft, Pickett’s Steelers tenure did not go as planned and it ended with a trade to the Eagles last spring. The 26-year-old is now in place with the Browns, a team which could be in the market for at least one other passer.

Cleveland has long been connected to trading for Kirk Cousins, but Cabot adds a deal on that front can be considered unlikely at this point. The Falcons passer wants to avoid a repeat of last year’s situation by waiting until after the draft to be dealt, although it remains to be seen if Atlanta will be on board with such a move and if financial arrangements related to the remainder of his contract can be made with an acquiring team. Free agents like Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz have been linked to the Browns, but again Cabot cautions nothing is currently imminent on that front.

Set to select second overall in April’s draft, Cleveland will likely have the opportunity to select any prospect other than Cam Ward. The team was recently reported to be high on Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, but other options will be considered as well. The Browns have hosted Tyler Shough on a top-30 visit, and he is among the quarterbacks who could find themselves in Cleveland next season. For now, at least, Pickett is in position to receive the chance to handle QB1 duties, something he sees himself as capable of managing on his new team.

Latest On Giants, Russell Wilson; Team Still Eyeing Shedeur Sanders?

March 28th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although it was fairly clear the Giants preferred Aaron Rodgers, they signed Russell Wilson to be their expected Week 1 starter. Wilson may well have preferred to stay in Pittsburgh, but his 2024 team is still pursuing Rodgers, leading to this marriage of convenience.

Reeling after making the mistake of re-signing Daniel Jones, thus pushing a failed investment to six years, the Giants have Wilson and Jameis Winston as stopgaps while they determine if this is the year to draft a potential long-term option. Although both Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are on hot seats, the franchise choosing the wrong year to draft a passer brought significant consequences last time.

Some around the league are indeed wondering if the Giants’ Wilson addition means they are skeptical on this year’s non-Cam Ward options, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. The Wilson move does provide flexibility for a reeling team, as the Giants would have been less likely to pass on Shedeur Sanders had they not landed the aging QB. And others are not convinced the Giants are out on a QB at No. 3.

As of now, ESPN.com’s Matt Miller hears quarterback is likely to be Big Blue’s direction with the third overall pick. A scout informed Miller the Giants’ interest in Sanders is the “worst-kept secret in the league right now.” Linked to the two-year Colorado starter in the fall, the Giants have remained connected to a polarizing prospect — one they arranged a visit with in early February. The team had staffers in attendance at every Buffaloes home game last season, Miller adds. Of course, with Travis Hunter also spending two years in Boulder, it is not exactly surprising to learn of consistent Giants attendance.

Ward has separated himself in this QB class, but if the Giants pass on Sanders, they may be locked out of top second-tier options. Barring a trade-up, Jaxson Dart is unlikely to be available when the Giants go back on the clock (No. 34). Dart first-round buzz has persisted, with Miller and ESPN colleague Field Yates viewing the Ole Miss product as a near-certainty to be a first-round pick. Some teams have Dart ranked second among QBs on their respective big boards, ESPN’s Jordan Reid adds. That adds intrigue to the Sanders situation.

A recent report indicated a fall out of the top 10 is unlikely for Sanders, even as doubts creep in about a player not possessing his father’s generational athletic gifts. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Sanders as this year’s 18th-best prospect — with Ward 10th. The Titans would be passing on a top-tier prospect by selecting Ward, and with the Browns and Giants’ decision-makers in more desperate situations, positional need makes it somewhat difficult to imagine both teams will pass.

Sanders still led Division I-FBS with a 74% completion rate and earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors, finishing with a 37:10 TD-INT ratio and posing 4,134 passing yards. Despite Deion Sanders‘ historically elite speed, his son is not a running quarterback; Shedeur finished with negative rushing yards in both his FBS seasons.

Sanders’ perceived lower athletic ceiling has helped separate he and Ward, putting the Browns to a decision. The Browns have been closely linked to Abdul Carter. The draft going Ward-Carter would put the Giants to a seemingly Colorado-based decision, as Hunter would arrive as a splashy addition — at either WR or CB — while his longtime teammate would generate questions and begin behind Wilson.

A Giants depth chart with Wilson, Winston and Sanders would seem unrealistic, potentially leading Winston to the trade block in a situation that would remind of the Jets’ Teddy Bridgewater move in 2018. The Jets traded up for Sam Darnold and traded Bridgewater to the Saints for a third-round pick before that season, keeping Josh McCown as the rookie’s backup. Wilson rightfully expects to be the Giants’ starter, but it does appear likely he will mentor a rookie — even if the Giants pass on Sanders at 3.

After the Broncos cut Wilson and the Steelers did not show much interest in retaining him, the QB canvassed the league about a fit with Daboll, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. The Giants obviously did the same. Wilson’s one-year contract includes $10.5MM guaranteed and contains incentives that could vault the value to $21MM.

If Wilson plays 65% of the Giants’ offensive snaps, he will earn an additional $500K, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, who adds an additional $1MM would come his way for a 75% snap rate. A $2MM bump would be due if Wilson hits the 85% snap barrier. Performance-wise, Wilson can earn $500K with a passer rating above 96.0 and another $500K if he reaches a 64% completion rate. A 20-plus-TD pass season and carrying a passer rating north of 88 nets him another $500K as well. Wilson posted passer ratings of 98.0 and 95.6 over the past two seasons.

The Giants making the playoffs during a season in which Wilson plays 55% of the snaps would lead to a $750K payout. A 75% participation rate and a playoff berth nets Wilson $1.5MM. Another million in incentives comes with playoff wins. The Giants have also incentivized regular-season victories, as Breer adds Wilson playing 50% of the snaps in any regular-season win would bring a $176K bump.

Russell Wilson Remained Interested In Steelers Well Into Free Agency

March 26th, 2025 at 10:04am CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers made their Russell Wilson stance fairly clear this offseason. The team launched a committed effort to retain Justin Fields, who had primarily backed up Wilson in 2024, and explored a pricier Sam Darnold addition. Once it became clear Fields would test the market, Pittsburgh became linked to Aaron Rodgers.

As the Rodgers holding pattern persists, Wilson provided some clarity Tuesday by committing to the Giants. The 13-year veteran becoming a New York bridge option points Rodgers to Pittsburgh or continuing to wait out Minnesota, the latter believed to be his preferred option. With Wilson no longer in place behind Rodgers in teams’ free agency queues, the Steelers also have one fewer option in the event Rodgers balks.

Wilson, however, expressed interest in re-signing with the Steelers on a few occasions after reclaiming his starting job last October. This preference remained well into the offseason as well, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac indicates the 36-year-old passer wanted to stay in Pittsburgh up until his New York commitment became final. That decision made Wilson a one-and-done with the Steelers, who had turned a 10-3 start into a five-game losing streak that ended with a one-sided playoff loss.

Back in November, rumblings about Steelers interest in re-signing Wilson emerged. At the time, Wilson was amid a stretch featuring six wins in his first seven starts. Wilson then said on multiple occasions he wanted to re-sign with Pittsburgh, as his Pennsylvania tenure started much better than his Colorado stay had. But after five straight losses to close last season, the Steelers shifted their thinking.

Some in the Steelers’ building viewed Wilson as “physically done,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio adds. The team became more interested in Fields’ potential upside than a known commodity like Wilson, and after Fields’ two-year, $40MM Jets deal, Even after that deal, Pittsburgh did not make a renewed pitch to make sure it could re-sign Wilson, only viewing him as a fallback option as Rodgers became the focus. That remained the case leading into Tuesday’s Wilson-Giants agreement.

The Steelers spoke with both Wilson and Fields about re-signings, but it was not hard to see their hierarchy did not reflect the 2024 depth chart. Going into his age-26 season, Fields drew more interest. He landed $30MM guaranteed at signing from the Jets, who will see if he can be a viable Rodgers replacement and harness potential teams observed when he went 11th overall in the 2021 draft. Mike Tomlin preferred Wilson as a passer last season, but the primary Pittsburgh starter clashed with OC Arthur Smith at points. Fields seeing Tomlin call for his benching also undoubtedly factored into the younger Steelers QB’s decision to pass on an offer to stay.

The past three seasons have brought a humbling period for Wilson, who has gone from a player who had appeared on a cruise toward the Hall of Fame to a declining option that suddenly brings some doubt regarding a Canton path. While Wilson may well have done enough in Seattle to secure a spot in Canton, his Denver and Pittsburgh years did not burnish his case.

Still the No. 4 all-time leading rusher among QBs, Wilson is also fourth in sacks taken. Unlike No. 1 on that list (Rodgers), Wilson does not have an array of All-Pros to balance that out. The Giants will bet on Wilson (22nd in 2024 QBR) having enough left to be a functional option in an offense that has largely lacked it since Daniel Jones‘ outlier 2022 season.

Relentlessly positive, Wilson has now seen two teams give up on him in two offseasons. It is not known if the Steelers made Wilson an offer, though they undoubtedly had a price range for a player who made 12 starts for them last season. They did not make much of an effort to re-sign him, per Florio.

The Browns, who hosted Wilson on a visit, may not have made a firm proposal, either. Though, Cleveland having contract parameters in place made sense due to the Giants needing to guarantee Wilson $10.5MM. Available to the Steelers for the veteran minimum due to his Broncos contract covering the rest last year, Wilson commanded a decent 2025 guarantee. He certainly will not lack for motivation going into his Giants debut.

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