Ah, the old bait and switch. A tactic as old as time. All that promise, only to under-deliver when it actually matters. That's likely what veteran quarterback Russell Wilson is feeling after watching rookie quarterback sensation Jaxson Dart wrap up the New York Giants' 2025 season in electric fashion, while he's sitting on the sidelines.
Sure the 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys ended all hopes of having a top draft pick in April, but honestly, so what? This team has finally found its Eli Manning heir, and that's worthy of a celebration... maybe just not for everyone.
Let’s go back to March 2025. Russ signs a one-year, $21 million deal with the G-Men, with $10.5 million tied to bonus incentives. He leads a QB room with Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito, instantly gets named the starter by Brian Daboll, and the path to a big payday looks wide open.
Then April comes, and the Giants trade up to take Jaxson Dart 25th overall (the inevitable replacement), who crushes any shot Wilson had at cashing in. And now, with the season officially over, the 10-time Pro Bowler has general manager Joe Schoen to thank for pretending like he was ever going to see the bonus money he signed in New York for.
Russell Wilson officially loses out on $10.5 million after signing with Giants
He was set to earn $176,471 for every game he won while playing at least half the snaps. When he was benched after Week 3, 14 potential win bonuses went out the window, along with $2.5 million. Just going 0-3 cost him $529,406 alone.
Another $2.5 million was tied to playing time thresholds, with bonuses kicking in at 65, 75, 85, and 95 percent of snaps. He didn’t come close to any of those.
There were also $2.5 million in performance bonuses for hitting marks like a 96 passer rating, 64 percent completion rate, 3,500 yards, and 30 touchdowns. Wilson also didn’t meet a single one of those.
Throw in another $2.5 million in playoff incentives, which were already far-fetched, and it’s clear: his benching cost him a shot at every single dollar of his bonus money.
Now, the 14-year veteran faces another directionless offseason, this time with his market colder than ever. It's obvious his playing career is over. Maybe he'll have better luck as a TV analyst, but the days of Mr. Unlimited are painfully limited.
This definitely wasn’t the season Russ had in mind when he signed up. But good for him to even get any money for his performance this year. Still, there's just no other way around it. Getting benched, only to lose out on $10.5 million in bonus incentives, in what could potentially be his last year playing football, is beyond brutal.
And the Giants might’ve just earned themselves an enemy for life because of it.