Giants add a QB, reportedly agreeing to deal with Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is changing homes for a second consecutive offseason.
Wilson and the New York Giants have agreed to a one-year, $21 million deal with $10.5 million guaranteed, ESPN reported Tuesday.
The Giants have been in the quarterback market this offseason as general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll presumably enter the 2025 season on the hot seat. They were among the teams to have trade talks with the Los Angeles Rams about Matthew Stafford before the quarterback agreed to a revised contract to stay in L.A. They were also a finalist in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes, but it appears they've taken themselves out of the running to sign the four-time MVP with Tuesday's move.
New York made its first quarterback addition of the offseason last week, signing Jameis Winston. Despite the addition and Winston's experience as a starter, it was believed that the Giants were still in the market for another quarterback.
Now with Wilson in the fold, the question becomes whether the Giants add another quarterback in the draft. New York holds the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, putting it in position to select one of the top quarterback prospects. It has been linked to both Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, with several mock drafts having them selecting the latter.
Wilson spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who signed him to a one-year deal following the quarterback being released by the Denver Broncos after the 2023 NFL season. The Steelers are the only known team in the sweepstakes for Rodgers, potentially making him the favorite to replace Wilson in Pittsburgh.
Wilson missed the first six games of the 2024 season due to a calf injury, with Justin Fields — who agreed to a two-year deal with the New York Jets earlier in March — starting in his place. Across the 11 regular-season games he started, Wilson totaled 2,482 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 95.6 passer rating, while completing 63.7% of his passes. The Steelers went 10-7 in the regular season before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round, losing a combined five consecutive games to close the season.
New York, meanwhile, is coming off a 3-14 season. It released quarterback Daniel Jones in the second season of a four-year, $160 million deal after the team's 2-8 start, with Schoen and Daboll's investment following his breakout 2022 campaign going sideways.
The Giants started three different quarterbacks and had four quarterbacks play altogether last season: Jones (10 starts), Drew Lock (five starts), Tommy DeVito (two starts) and Tim Boyle (one appearance). DeVito, who was an exclusive rights free agent, recently re-signed with the Giants on a one-year deal.
The poor play of the Giants' quarterbacks made them one of the league's worst offenses for a second straight season in 2024. They ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards (104.9 per game), 28th in passing yards (189.9 per game), 30th in total yards (294.8 per game) and 31st in points (16.1 per game) last season.
That said, the Giants' offense has a few promising players. They have young star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who totaled a franchise-record 109 receptions in his 2024 rookie season, fellow receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (93 receptions in 2024) and running back Tyrone Tracy (839 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry and 284 receiving yards in his 2024 rookie campaign). The Giants also re-signed wide receiver Darius Slayton earlier in the offseason.
Elsewhere on the free agent front, New York signed defensive backs Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland so far this offseason.
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