ex- Seahawks star Russell Wilson shares bold take on new job with Giants

At the moment Russell Wilson is the Giants' best option to start at quarterback, but there's a huge potential obstacle in the way.

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Former Seattle Seahawks franchise quarterback Russell Wilson is entering the fourth act of his career in the NFL. After signing a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the New York Giants, Wilson says that he is expecting to start for them. This is a mildly spicy take given the team's situation. While it's true that for the moment Wilson is their best option to start at quarterback, the bar is pretty low.

The Giants also recently signed Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million deal - and while Winston is talented, he has also been serving as a backup since he joined the Saints back in 2020. Wilson has no reason to feel truly threatened by Winston or Tommy DeVito, who's more of a meme than a legitimate quarterback option at this level.

It's also probably worth mentioning that Wilson's contract is more in line with what high-end backup quarterbacks make nowadays rather than starters.

Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (right) greet each other after their game at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The real threat to Wilson is of course the Giants' third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The way things are shaping up right now, it appears they will be all clear to draft a potential long-term franchise QB at that spot. Recent media reports indicate the Tennessee Titans plan to take Miami quarterback Cam Ward at number one, and the Cleveland Browns are now expected to take Abdul Carter with the second overall pick.

That means the Giants would be free to pick Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, the second-ranked quarterback prospect in this draft class. While his game still has room to grow, Sanders will come ino the NFL more polished than your average rookie QB with pro-caliber accuracy and touch. Sanders is also excellent at avoiding turnovers and does his best work in structure from the pocket.

All of that makes Sanders potentially a better option than Wilson and Winston, who are both prone to extending plays too long and trying to force the action rather than take what the defense offers. If Sanders is the pick, we could be in for a very interesting QB1 competition this summer. At this point, Wilson should not assume he'll start by any means.

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