The New York Giants are 1-3 and at a crossroads. On one hand, they have been in some close contests, with starting quarterback Daniel Jones playing well enough to keep the team close and fighting. On the other hand, Jones’ inability to capitalize on a few critical moments have cost the team wins. Now the Giants must decide how committed they still are to Jones as he plays on a contract with a costly injury clause looming overhead.
If the Giants want to make a change at quarterback mid-season to protect themselves from the injury clause, they will likely just elevate one of their two backups, Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito, into the starting lineup. However, if the Giants feel as though they are just a quarterback away from making a playoff run, perhaps they could pull off a more daring move to acquire a new signal-caller at the trade deadline.
Could Russell Wilson be on the trade block?
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason as a bridge quarterback. However, they also acquired Justin Fields via trade, creating a competition that was ultimately won by Wilson — until an injury sidelined him and thrust Fields into the starting lineup.
Now the Steelers are 3-0 with Fields under center and the former Bears quarterback has been playing well in these wins. Whether or not Wilson is inserted back into the starting lineup once he is healthy is a question. If the Steelers decide that they are sticking with Fields the rest of the way, perhaps they could look to trade Wilson at the deadline.
The Giants had an interest in signing Russell Wilson this offseason
While not much came of it, the Giants did have a meeting with Wilson in the offseason to gague his interest in playing in the Big Apple. Ultimately, however, Wilson was not interested because he was told that it would be a backup job. Perhaps he would have wanted to play for the G-Men if offered a starting job, though.
Wilson started 15 games for the Broncos last season, earning a 7-8 record while throwing for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Those would be career numbers for Jones. Wilson isn’t the same quarterback he once was but he proved to still be a decent-enough starter last season.
After failing to sign him this offseason, maybe the Giants could swoop in and add Wilson via trade mid-season in an attempt to spark a run toward the postseason.
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Benching Daniel Jones for Wilson might make monetary sense
Ironically, Jones might find himself in the same situation that Wilson found himself in with the Denver Broncos last season. Despite playing well and having the Broncos in the potential playoff race, the Broncos benched Wilson due to an injury clause in his contract and, subsequently, cut him in the offseason. By benching Wilson, the Broncos protected their future in a financial sense.
The same thing could happen to Jones. The Giants have an out in Jones’ contract next offseason. However, if he gets injured and cannot pass a physical in March, the out is no longer available to them. The Giants will then be stuck with Jones and his massive contract on their payroll for another year at least.
Wilson, meanwhile, is on a one-year veteran’s minimum salary contract that could be easily acquired by the Giants. They could pivot mid-season, trading for Wilson and benching Jones, hoping that the 35-year-old signal caller sparks a run for them as the second half of the season commences. The Giants will then maintain the out in Jones’ contract and be able to cut him in the offseason, utilize Wilson as a bridge, and target a new quarterback of the future in the draft.
