It was reported that quarterback Russell Wilson met with the New York Giants this week. Remember when Joe Schoen said that they would explore veteran quarterback options to fill the quarterback room? Yes, we know New York will likely draft a young quarterback with the sixth overall pick. But, signing Russell Wilson (especially to a veteran minimum contract) would be a great idea for the Giants.
A Winner With Seattle
During his ten-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson was the franchise quarterback who led them to consistent winning seasons. The nine-time Pro Bowler was 104-53-1 as the starter, including finishing every season with at least nine wins (except in 2021, when he went 6-8 and missed a few games due to injury).
Mr. Unlimited led the team to the Super Bowl in 2013. The number one-seeded Seahawks destroyed the Denver Broncos 43-8.
Seattle made the playoffs from 2012 to 2020 under Wilson’s guidance, showing he was simply a winner during his time as a Seahawk. Despite throwing 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions in 2021, that would be his last season before being traded to the Denver Broncos.
Struggles in Denver
Playing under Nathaniel Hackett during his first year in Denver, Wilson struggled mightily. He went 4-11 as the starter, throwing just 16 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions while being the most sacked quarterback in the league (55).
You would think things got better in his second season, especially with Sean Payton taking over as the head coach. Not necessarily. Despite the numbers looking better (26 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions), he barely threw for 3000 yards and went 7-8. He was benched for the last two games of the season because of contract guarantees.
Russell Wilson's tenure as a Broncos QB goes down as an organizational failure. No one was harder on Russ than me but the fact Denver threatened to bench him if he didn't get rid of his injury clause is just insanity.
— The Tao Tao (@Taylor_Majka) March 5, 2024
How George Paton still has a job is insane.
Denver saw enough and decided to release him once the season ended. Looking back at it, the Seattle Seahawks won the trade.
$85M in dead money on top of this haul… đŹ
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 4, 2024
The Russell Wilson trade might go down as one of the most lopsided deals in NFL history pic.twitter.com/AwTbr7Pt3o
Moving On
With Wilson being released, Denver owes him a lot of money. Other teams can easily take advantage of Denver’s poor decision-making.
The Broncos owe Wilson $39 million guaranteed in 2024, minus the value of a contract he signs with another team, due to offset language in his deal. That could be as low as $1.2 million, the league minimum.
The Athletic on Russell Wilson’s release from the Broncos
This means teams can have this proven winner without having to break the bank. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers have interest, as they’re meeting with Wilson at the time of publishing. However, this was not before he met with the Giants.
Bringing in someone like Wilson is a great idea. Even if the Giants don’t go quarterback in the first round, getting a wideout like Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze would be beneficial for Wilson as he would have a WR1.
Daniel Jones may not be ready for Week One. Wilson would automatically slide in as the starting quarterback. Even if Jones is ready and comes back, many including Joe Schoen know they didn’t bring Wilson in to be the backup.
The 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year has proven he can lead his team to winning seasons and into the playoffs. New York has not had a quarterback like that since Eli Manning. Consider the cost it would take to bring him in, and there is no doubt Russell Wilson would be a great fit for the Giants.
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Featured Image: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
