Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll Reveals What Drew Him to Russell Wilson

Quarterback Russell Wilson has had some difficult times in his professional career since being traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos cut him two years after signing him to a new lucrative deal.

But New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is brimming with optimism about what Wilson can bring to an offense that has been among the league's most lethargic in each of the last three seasons.

“Yeah, I've watched every play of his since 2012. He's got over 7,500 pass plays,” Daboll told reporters during the NFC head coaches availability at the league meetings Tuesday morning.

“Just wanted to see some of the things that he did well. As we get going here, we gotta start putting together what we're gonna do. Everybody's got a lot of plays, but I wanna look at these players ... and make good decisions with the things we install. ”

And what was it he liked most about Wilson’s tape?

“He makes good decisions with the football,” Daboll said. “He's athletic. He's a little bit older, so he maybe not as athletic as he was in ‘13 and ‘14, but he certainly has the ability to use his legs.

“Plays with great explosiveness, phenomenal deep ball thrower has created a bunch of explosive plays and scoring points for his team and does a good job of making good decisions with the football.”

For the Giants, those traits would be like a cold drink of water on a hot summer’s day if Wilson penciled in as the team’s starter after inking a one-year contract, can continue to deliver on all that and then some.

Since Daboll joined the Giants in 2022, the quarterbacks have never thrown for more than 17 touchdowns, the last coming in 2022, their only winning season in his tenure. And twice in the last three seasons, the Giants have finished dead last in the league in big pass plays of 20+ yards, including 2022 (28) and 2024 (34).

Wilson has thrown at least 16 touchdowns per season in that same three-year period–26 in 2023, his final year in Denver–while recording single-digit interceptions in his last two seasons.

Last year with the Steelers, he also threw 40 big-pass plays in 336 attempts (8.4%). All that makes it easy to see why Daboll endorsed the Giants’ pursuit of the veteran signal-caller.

“He's been a very productive player throughout his career, obviously at Seattle. Very, very productive and then has been on a few different teams here the last few years,” Daboll said.

“Watched a lot of tape on him and look forward to working with him. He's he's been a good player. He's got good leadership traits to him. Smart. He's played a lot of football, and I look forward to working with him.”

However, with Wilson only signed to a one-year deal, the Giants can select a quarterback in the draft. Outside of Miami’s Cam Ward, who is expected to go first overall to the Titans, the Giants, who draft third, should be in a position to have their choice of any of the remaining quarterbacks on the board.

“Yeah, I think anything is on the table. We are still going through the process,” Daboll told NFL Network’s Judy Battista earlier this week, echoing what general manager Joe Schoen told reporters on Monday about the team being set up to have options when they go on the clock later this month.

“There are still a few weeks (until the draft), but we are doing a lot of work on ... all the players. So, we will do what we think is best for the football team, but I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

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