As he rapidly approaches his 38th birthday, former New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson certainly sounds open to continuing his career.
If that’s the case, then former five-time Pro Bowl and one-time All-Pro cornerback Aqib Talib likely won’t be too interested in watching. Talib tore into Wilson during a recent episode of “The Arena: Gridiron," telling the 10-time Pro Bowler to retire and embrace potentially moving into broadcasting.
“It’s over with, man,” Talib said. “Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play? I think you don’t really want to play.”
Wilson previously said that he’s spoken with CBS about an on-air studio role. However, he also had conversations with the Jets about backing up former Seahawks teammate Geno Smith.
There is no indication that the Jets intend to sign Wilson anytime soon. Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook are expected to compete for the backup role, and fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik would likely be the third-string quarterback.
“I hate when guys get to the later part of their career, and then they start doing the bounce-around thing, and they’re not going to win,” Talib said. “There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your résumé.”
Wilson had not publicly responded to Talib as of publication.
Should Russell Wilson regret playing for the Giants?
Talib is correct that there was never realistically a chance Wilson and the Giants would contend for a Super Bowl title last year.
However, Talib’s analysis also raises the question of whether Wilson should — or already does — look back on his Giants tenure with shame. Wilson obviously isn’t the first longtime starting quarterback to become a journeyman backup and occasional starter.
Joe Flacco has spent this whole decade moving from team to team. Andy Dalton appeared headed for the same role before finding a home with the Panthers. Unlike those two, though, Wilson was on a Hall of Fame path when Seattle traded him to Denver in 2022.
Wilson’s counting stats with the Broncos and Steelers might look fine, but he failed to properly elevate either team.
Luckily for the Broncos, they wound up with Bo Nix as a successor. Pittsburgh settled for an aging Aaron Rodgers as a replacement.
As harsh as Talib’s comments might be, he’s also correct.
The time has come for Wilson to swallow his pride and hang up his cleats. He has had too strong a career to stick around being a backup for mediocre or rebuilding teams. There is no point in doing so.
Citing passion for the game of football as a potential reason only goes so far.
It’s just unfortunate, but unsurprising, that the G-Men caught a stray insult along the way.
But, if all goes to plan for the Giants, Wilson can at least point out he was benched in favor of future superstar Jaxson Dart.
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