The NY Giants signed Russell Wilson in free agency and even though the team spent a first-round pick on Jaxson Dart, Wilson appears to be the guy, at least for now. Wilson has bounced around over the past few years, spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Denver and 2024 in Pittsburgh, making the Giants his third team in as many years.
Some might be wondering what really led to Wilson signing with the Giants. Was it that, at the time, they didn't have a younger option to eventually make their franchise quarterback? Was it something about the team in particular?
Well, Wilson revealed why he chose to join the Giants rather than re-sign with the Steelers. That reason was Malik Nabers and Brian Daboll.
"I just turned on the film and watching this guy Malik Nabers, man, this dude’s a superstar," Wilson said on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony. "I saw him, I was watching the film and just before I tried to make decisions, try to get a clear understanding of who the players are, this and that, and obviously you see the highlights and everything else, but when you watch every single catch and every single rep and every play, you get to see the kind of player he is, man, he’s dynamic. He touches that football, he gone."
Having Nabers at your disposal would be quite attractive if you're a quarterback, wouldn't it? Wilson won't have to worry about not having a solid weapon to throw to because he'll have one of the best in the league waiting to catch passes from him.
Russell Wilson was drawn to NY Giants because of Malik Nabers and Brian Daboll
As for Daboll being a reason Wilson wanted to come to New York, he said the Giants head coach is a "brillant mind".
"I really liked [Brian] Daboll too," Wilson said about his head coach. "Obviously watching Dabes over the years, the guy who was a coach of the year, I don't know, two, three years ago, brilliant mind spending time with him. I actually came out here last year before I signed with Pittsburgh last time too, and I just had a great appreciation of his mind for the game and how he saw the game."
It's always good to hear that a quarterback is drawn to a team because of the head coach and wide receiver because it means they think they'll be set up to succeed. Wilson has to know that as soon as he shows any signs of struggling, Dart will be put in and he might not see the field again as a starter.
Bringing Wilson in was a smart move by New York too because this way, Dart doesn't have to be the guy right away. If Wilson plays well enough to stave off Dart's debut, then that's even better news for the Giants because it means the quarterback position isn't the problem.