Potential Giants Bridge Quarterback Target Might Not Be Available After All

With the NFL offseason set to begin next month and the New York Giants continuing their evaluations for the top rookie quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, they are also keeping tabs on the statuses of several veterans who could hit the open market or the trade wire in the next couple months.

In all the recent discussions on options to join the Giants as a bridge quarterback or secondary mentor in free agency to tutor the incoming rookie choice, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has been one of the most feasible options.

Wilson, 36, rejuvenated his career in the Steel City after joining them on a one-year deal last offseason following a parting of ways from a failed tenure with the Denver Broncos.

He missed the first six games of the season with a calf injury but returned to guide the Steelers to a 10-7 record and playoff berth that ultimately died out in the Wild Card round.

Now Pittsburgh has a quarterback dilemma of their own where they must decide whether they want to retain the 2013 Super Bowl champion or Justin Fields, his counterpart who started the first six games with a 4-2 record and came over to the team last offseason as well, if either one of them.

At the same time, a few teams, like the Giants, have been eyeing Wilson’s situation, as they might want to reignite conversations from last spring about a potential partnership.

However, according to a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, potential suitors may want to shift their focus as the veteran gunslinger has expressed confidence that he and the Steelers organization will come together on a new deal to remain there for the 2025 season.

"I was with Russell on Friday, and I'm just telling you, the tone that I got from him was entirely different than reports out there," Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show.

"I was with Russell Wilson on Friday and he feels like there's a chance he's gonna be back in Pittsburgh..

He's having conversations with the organization about the future" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7ld5P0B88E
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 10, 2025

"We'll see what winds up happening, whether or not he's back there. But I think he feels like there's a chance he's gonna be back there. He's having conversations with the organization about the future and where it's gonna go. Now again, there's still a lot going to play out here, but I think he thinks he may be back in Pittsburgh."

After Wilson was released from the Broncos at the start of the new league year last March, the Giants set up a meeting with Wilson at the team’s headquarters in East Rutherford.

Those discussions didn’t go far, as Wilson soon left and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers to a veteran minimum deal of $1.2 million.

In 11 games played for the Steelers, Wilson tallied 214 completions on 336 targets for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions, tied for the lowest mishaps in his pro career.

His numbers were more than serviceable enough for the Steelers to consider bringing him back as the leader of the offense next season. Still, it would remove one candidate who would make sense, both in experience and financially, for the Giants' quarterbacks room.

If Wilson does land a new contract with the franchise, it would likely mean that Fields will enter the pool of free agents, and the Giants could very well act upon him. He is a classic dual-threat quarterback whom head coach Brian Daboll has seemed to have some admiration for and could work with him to elevate those intangibles and reinvigorate New York’s passing attack.

The Giants finished in the bottom five in the NFL in terms of passing production, including 28th in yards, 32nd in touchdowns, and 30th in average yards per pass attempt.

Fields’ career statistics read a 61.1% completion percentage for 7,780 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions while adding another 418 carries for 2,509 yards and 19 scores on the ground.

But if that route doesn’t come to fruition, then the Giants have two names to cross off their list of potential free-agent additions and will have to broaden their search to other names, such as Sam Darnold and Jameis Winston, who are vouching for new work come the start of the 2025 season.

Most of those options have pros and cons but would be upgrades from the collection of arms the Giants had to finish the 2024 season after Daniel Jones was benched and released.

The Giants will have to open their checkbook to sign a veteran bridge quarterback if they intend to have that guy be their starter for the coming season.

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