The New York Giants have been named by an NFL Insider as a "sleeper option" for a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
Going to free agency for help at quarterback is usually frowned upon if it’s done at the expense of drafting a QB of the future, but the New York Giants could buck the trend as a “potential sleeper” to sign Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller Russell Wilson.
The Giants’ status in any sweepstakes for Super Bowl-winning veteran Wilson was confirmed by ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler during an edition of “NFL Live”, when he discussed the futures of Wilson and fellow Steelers passer Justin Fields.
Fowler acknowledged Wilson has “made it clear he wants to be back in Pittsburgh, that’s his priority.” Yet, Fowler also believes that just like Fields, Wilson will have “options as well” on the veteran market, and “the New York Giants could be a potential sleeper for him.”
Wilson’s name hasn’t been far from the Giants in the last year, and he remains a proven commodity with the arm strength and mobility suited to head coach Brian Daboll’s offense.
He’s a good scheme fit, but there are still some doubts about Wilson’s ability to lead a rebuild like the one the Giants are undertaking.
Russell Wilson Remains Popular Name for Giants
This isn’t the first time Fowler has put Wilson on the Giants radar. It makes sense for the 36-year-old to be a popular name for Big Blue.
Wilson’s arm talent has endured, particularly when he’s attacking coverage vertically and throwing on the run. The Giants were among the teams exploited by both of Wilson’s core strengths when the former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos starter threw for 278 yards in Week 8, including a 29-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III.
Throwing deep off play action became Wilson’s niche again, per Doug Farrar of Athlon Sports.
Russell Wilson with deep shots off of play-action? Let’s party like it’s 2013!
Moving pockets and deep shots are how Josh Allen became a Pro Bowler on Daboll’s watch when the latter was offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2020. Putting Wilson into the lineup would give Daboll his first legitimate chance to run the kind of offense he wants for the Giants.
That’s the upside to signing Wilson, but the downside could lead the Giants to another free-agent quarterback.
Giants Can’t Ignore Other Free Agent QBs
Daboll would welcome Wilson’s talent for throwing off-platform, but the Giants wouldn’t be able to ignore how much he’s struggled protecting the ball. Wilson has thrown 24 interceptions and fumbled 21 times across the last three seasons.
Although he supplanted Fields in Pittsburgh, Wilson couldn’t make plays when it counted last season. He finished the season 0-5 and threw for over 250 yards just once, during a 28-14 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.
The Giants don’t want to catch Wilson on the downside of his career. Perhaps it’d be better to roll the dice on the core skills of Fields as a bridge quarterback.
Fields still lacks refinement as a passer, but that’s not a problem for another former Super Bowl champion, Matthew Stafford. The latter can match Wilson throwing off play action and on the move, but the cost of acquiring Stafford may be too high.
Wilson wouldn’t carry the same price tag, but he’s still projected by Spotrac.com to earn $38.7 million annually for two years. It’s well within the range of a Giants team with $47,114,074 worth of space under the salary cap.
They own the third pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but the Giants aren’t completely sold on top prospects Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Any doubts make delving into free agency for an established QB with Wilson’s profile, or something similar, a logical alternative.
