For a few days earlier this offseason, it really felt like there was a chance the NY Giants could end up signing Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson to a cheap, one-year deal. However, Wilson ended up putting the pen to paper to suit up for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.
As it turns out, Wilson's decision was made much easier for him following his short meeting in East Rutherford with Giants general manager Joe Schoen. According to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, Wilson was told by the Big Blue front office that he'd have to compete with Jones for the starting job and that playing time would not be guaranteed.
With the Steelers giving Russ the job from Day 1, he chose the AFC North team instead of having to fight for his spot in East Rutherford.
Giants' meeting with Russell Wilson included no guarantee he'd play over Daniel Jones. https://t.co/Py2EABQcJX
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 18, 2024
The Giants told Russell Wilson he'd have to battle Daniel Jones to be QB1
Clearly, Wilson saw a better fit and situation with the Steelers over the Giants. With that said, Howe's report makes it seem like perhaps the Giants aren't ready to give up on their $160 million investment in Danny Dimes just yet.
Headlines were made when the G-Men signed former second-round pick Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal. Shortly after that, Seahawks GM John Schneider raised a ton of eyebrows when he said Lock signed with New York to push for the starting job.
However, Lock silenced those talks at his intro presser when he said Jones is the starter and he'll be ready to back him up. There's certainly a ton of buzz about the Giants taking a new quarterback in the first round of the draft, but Schoen could also look at either Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers, two star receivers, at No. 6 overall instead.
Jones is coming off a 2023 from hell - starting only six games and throwing two touchdowns, with six interceptions. He missed multiple games due to a neck injury and then he tore his ACL in Week 9. He's busting his tail in rehab and was all smiles recently on stage at a Zach Bryan concert.
As for Wilson, he's ready to lead the Steelers QBs room, one that will now include Justin Fields. Wilson could have ended up out-battling Jones for the job at MetLife, but we'll never know how that might have played out. Once the draft gets here, though, we'll have a much better idea of what Schoen and the Giants think of Jones' chances of turning his career around.