The Russell Wilson Sweepstakes are heating up. The New York Giants will be fighting in a competitive market of teams vying for Wilson’s services as the top free-agent quarterback set to hit the market this offseason.
The Giants met with Wilson last offseason when he was a free agent, prior to him signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two parties reportedly had mutual interest but things ultimately didn’t work out. Now, one year later, the Giants could find themselves in a better position to sign Wilson this offseason and could leverage last year’s meeting to get the veteran quarterback back in town this offseason.
Signing Wilson would massively upgrade the Giants’ quarterback room compared to what they trotted out onto the field in 2024. Wilson could also benefit from a deal with Big Blue, making them a perfect fit for the future Hall of Famer.
ESPN names the Giants the “best fit” for Russell Wilson
ESPN’s Matt Bowen recently listed the “best team fit” for each of the NFL’s top 50 free agents set to hit the market this offseason. He named the Giants Wilson’s best fit in free agency:
“Sitting at No. 3 in the draft order, the Giants are in the mix to land a quarterback with their first-round pick this spring. But adding Wilson would give them some security heading into the draft,” Bowen explained.
“In 11 starts for the Steelers, Wilson completed 63.7% of his throws for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns. Because of his diminished mobility, Wilson isn’t a natural creator at this stage. But Giants coach Brian Daboll can scheme for Wilson, using a play-action-heavy approach and setting him up on vertical throws.”
Over the last couple of seasons, Giants head coach Brian Daboll has been handicapped by the lack of talent he’s had under center. The Giants’ playbook has been subsequently limited, but signing an experienced veteran with elite mental processing, such as Wilson, would allow Daboll to open up the playbook and rely on his quarterback to execute.
Wilson could revive his career with the Giants
After a failed two-year tenure with the Denver Broncos, Wilson re-established himself as an above-average starter in 11 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past season. He led Pittsburgh to a 6-5 record and playoff berth despite the Steelers’ lack of weaponry for their seasoned quarterback to utilize. The erratic George Pickens was his No. 1 wide receiver, but with the Giants, Wilson could get the most out of one of the league’s rising superstars.
Malik Nabers established himself as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers as a rookie in 2024. He totaled 102 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing as a fifth-place finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year — and he did all of this with Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, and Tim Boyle as his quarterbacks. The Giants are desperate to see what this kid can do with a legitimate quarterback throwing him the football.
Wilson, meanwhile, might be excited to target a wide receiver with such elite run-after-the-catch and deep-receiving abilities as Nabers. Wilson could maximize Nabers and Nabers could make Wilson look good, making impossible grabs that move the chains and put points on the board.
The Giants will likely target a quarterback high in the draft even if they sign Wilson this offseason. However, after dealing with the struggles they dealt with at the quarterback position last season, they will be in no rush to take Wilson off the field for an unknown if the veteran quarterback is playing at a high level. Wilson would also be the perfect mentor for a young quarterback as a 10-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champion, and future Hall of Famer who is an A+ leader and consistent team captain.
Wilson would be the perfect bridge quarterback. If he plays as well as he potentially could with Nabers as his top target, the Giants might be able to take their time with their rookie quarterback. This could turn into a Jordan Love situation where the rookie sits for multiple seasons behind a great quarterback before eventually taking over later down the line.
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Can the Giants afford to sign Wilson?
Signing Wilson makes all the sense in the world from a football standpoint. But does it make sense financially?
The Giants are currently projected to have $48 million in cap space at the start of free agency. Wilson, meanwhile, is projected to land a contract worth north of $35 million per season. Spotrac estimates his market value at $38.7 million per season across two years. Pro Football Focus projects a similar deal worth $35 million per season for two years.
While these numbers might seem lofty, they fall in line with the quarterback market and are more than reasonable for the Giants. Their $48 million in cap space could easily balloon to $65+ million with different contract restructures and releases. Additionally, they could sign Wilson to a multi-year contract, backloading the guarantees to free up cap space this offseason, or frontloading the guarantees to free up cap space in future offseasons.
They could also add void years to Wilson’s contract if they so desire, pushing the cap hits down the line to future offseason, even if Wilson is no longer on the team at that point. The Giants have very few long-term contracts on their books right now, giving them as much financial flexibility as they could ever desire.
Signing a quarterback to a lucrative contract one offseason removed from the Daniel Jones dilemma might be a tough pill to swallow, though, for general manager Joe Schoen and company. However, at least with Wilson, they know they are getting a proven and reliable starting quarterback — something they desperately need.
Plus, with Wilson serving as a bridge, they could still use the No. 3 overall pick in the draft on a top quarterback prospect. Signing Wilson and drafting a quarterback would improve the Giants short-term and long-term.
