GMFB Host Offers Blunt Take on Giants' Signing of Russell Wilson

It would be quite the understatement to say that Good Morning Football analyst Kyle Brandt is unimpressed with the Giants’ signing of quarterback Russell Wilson to be their potential starter this coming season.

Let’s have an honest conversation about the Giants. pic.twitter.com/d9f1dpLkDC
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) March 27, 2025

Brandt, in fact, made his feelings well known during Thursday’s edition of the program. In it, he poked fun at Wilson’s introductory press conference with the Giants beat writers on Wednesday, pointing out how Wilson is so programmed that all of his press conferences seem to sound the same.

However, on a larger scale, Brandt seems unconvinced that Wilson is the answer the Giants have sought.

“I don't wanna be the Debbie Downer here, but guys, let's not be so naive and a babe in the woods to say, ‘Wow, this is great!’" Brandt said.

“[Ex-Giants quarterback] Daniel Jones was more in demand this year in the free agency than Russell Wilson was. And he is getting paid more money than Russell Wilson is by the Colts.

“Russell Wilson is there because the Giants didn't get [Matthew] Stafford and didn't get [Aaron] Rogers. And the Giants said, ‘We gotta get somebody.’”

Brandt is not wrong about the chain of events that led to the Giants signing Wilson. The Giants' willingness to trade assets to the Los Angeles Rams and ensure Stafford was paid like a top-10 quarterback showed that they were serious about having Stafford as their starter beyond this year.

It also is a very telling statement about how the Giants might feel about this year’s quarterback crop, which is nowhere near as rich as last year’s group, and their feelings about who might fall to them when they go on the clock at No. 3.

But Brandt’s take falls short regarding Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, who has a reputation for being thorough and deliberate in his decision-making process regarding where he plays, is believed to have not visited the Giants facility, where, as he did with the Steelers, he would have had a chance to tour the facility, meet the coaches and staff, and talk ball.

That lack of urgency, not just on Rodgers’s part but also on the part of the Giants, would suggest that perhaps one side might have had more of an interest in a partnership than the other, or it might have been the classic “squeeze” tactic by Rodgers’ camp to get the Steelers to sweeten their offer.

Brandt, who also said that the chances of the Giants winning the NFC East are not in their favor, said they are simply looking to get back on track and out of the cellar, which is another reason why they went to Wilson.

There’s no question about that, and again, for proof of the Giants' intentions and expectations, one can start with Stafford and then trace the lies toward the signing of Jameis Winston for backup quarterback money and the incentive-heavy one-year deal signed by Wilson.

But let’s give the Giants brass some credit. While winning the division is always the first goal–the ultimate goal being winning the Super Bowl–the Giants know they have a long way to get out of the cellar and back on the path of respectability. The first step is this year, addressing a quarterback situation that completely fell off the rails after the 2022 season.

Above all, Brandt believes that the feel-good love affair that exists right now with Wilson probably won’t last beyond October.

“I don't want to just completely crap on this. It's a really fun, positive, optimistic viewpoint,” Brandt said.

“We've been here before. I've seen this movie before. … I hope it works out, but I can't stand here being like, ‘Well, I think this might work.’ I hope it does; I don't suspect it probably will.”

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