The New York Giants’ search for a starting quarterback ended on Tuesday when the team signed Russell Wilson to a one-year, $21 million contract. The deal includes $10.5 million guaranteed. Wilson is headed to New York after a one-season stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants will be his fourth team in the last five years.
Wilson represents a vast improvement over New York’s previous quarterback situation and the veteran passer received an enthusiastic welcome from one of his new wideouts.
“Giants country….Lets Ride,” Darius Slayton wrote on X in response to the Giants signing the 10-time Pro Bowler. The message references Wilson’s infamous catchphrase from his time with the Denver Broncos.
While Mr. Unlimited has been thoroughly mocked for incessantly saying “Broncos Country, let’s ride” during his dismal Denver tenure, Slayton clearly alluded to the phrase in a playful manner. After catching passes from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito in 2024, Wilson is a massive upgrade. And that reality is not lost on Slayton.
Darius Slayton will benefit from new Giants quarterback Russell Wilson
The veteran receiver is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. Slayton had 39 receptions for 573 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games last year. Despite the anemic stats in a contract year, the Giants prioritized the wideout this offseason. New York signed Slayton to a three-year, $36 million extension, doubling the annual salary from his previous deal.
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New York selected Slayton in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. He’s spent his entire six-year career with the Giants and just signed his second extension with the team. However, Slayton has failed to live up to the promise shown in his rookie season, when he had 740 yards and eight touchdowns in just 14 games.
Now Slayton is behind 2024 first-round pick Malik Nabers in the Giants’ wideout pecking order – and maybe Wan’Dale Robinson too. But he’s a dependable receiver that the team trusts.
And with the addition of Wilson, he has a quarterback who can throw a deep ball. The Giants made a run at Aaron Rodgers this offseason but the future Hall of Famer is taking his time deciding on his next NFL stop. Rodgers had standing offers from the Giants and the Steelers.
New York added everybody’s favorite backup QB Jameis Winston on a two-year, $8 million deal last week and some felt the team would attempt to add a passer with the third overall pick in the upcoming draft. But the Giants opted for Wilson instead.
The 36-year-old signal caller looked good for a stretch with the Steelers last year but the team fell apart at the end of the season. Pittsburgh lost its last four regular season games before falling to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round.
