NFL Analyst Peels Back Curtain About Giants Quarterback’s Leadership Style

When it comes to being a successful starting quarterback in the current NFL landscape, the keys go far beyond just performing at the highest level inside the huddle. It also requires strong character and a willingness to hold one’s teammates accountable throughout the season.

In simpler words, one must be able to lead a group of players through the grind of playing in the league, and for some, there are doubts about whether New York Giants head coach Russell Wilson will be able to do that on his new team.

Wilson, who was signed by the Giants as a free agent this offseason to assume the vacant No. 1 passing role, has always been an interesting gunslinger. His overly positive mindset allows him to stay engaged even when he is playing for a franchise that is experiencing some bumps in the road.

However, that same personality might only gel with the rest of the locker room when the ball is rolling in his team’s direction. At least that is what noted NFL analyst Chris Simms said in a recent episode of his “Unbuttoned” podcast, where he spoke about Wilson’s connection with his teammates often going south when the Steelers weren’t stacking the wins last season.

“I know this: his ability to lead and talk to the players, it falls on deaf ears,” Simms said.

“I told you, not only was I hearing it from people that I trust in Pittsburgh, but you could watch TV and see it, where he’d be talking to the guys on the sidelines, and they’d literally be trying to look in the opposite direction he was talking.”

One could say the Steelers' situation under center is much better without Wilson in their ranks for 2025. The franchise is now grappling for a true answer to lead their offense this season, but it was apparent that the ability to do so with the Super Bowl champion wouldn’t be long for this world.

Wilson missed the first few weeks of the 2024 campaign with a calf injury he suffered during training camp, yet the Steelers found a way to go 4-2 in their first six contests with Justin Fields holding down the operation in his place. Wilson would return in Week 7 to reclaim his rightful place in the offense, only for the results to be skewed on each end.

The 10-time Pro Bowler led the Steelers on a four-game win streak before ultimately claiming six of his first seven starts for the franchise and throwing for over 264 yards four separate times.

After that early run, Pittsburgh would regress in the most important stretch of the year, falling in their final four games and out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round to Baltimore, 28-14.

His struggles, which included a handful of turnovers in that span, might have left the impression that Wilson was on the back nine of his professional career and his edge was slowly fading away.

Wilson’s tenure with the Denver Broncos, albeit slightly longer, was just as rocky, if not more so, and it led to him reportedly having some issues off the field with fellow players.

Still, the 36-year-old had to have understood how to be an impactful leader as he displayed it countless times in Seattle en route to multiple playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 2013 at his new home in MetLife Stadium.

Nevertheless, something just wasn’t clicking with Wilson’s messaging to his squad, and that has to raise some concerns as the veteran takes over a Giants offense that is no stranger to losing football lately. The unit was amongst the least productive in the NFL last season, and it was a major driver of their miserable 3-14 record that could repeat itself amid a brutal schedule for 2025.

It might be hard to tell Wilson to shift away from his positive mentality just because the results on the scoreboard don’t show the same, but perhaps he could find out how to skew it in a way that reflects an ability to be more critical yet also uplifting when the Giants need a mix of both.

If one thing is certain, Wilson must earn the respect and fellowship of his teammates if he wants to start having success in the Big Apple as one of the city's new faces. The first days of his time in East Rutherford seem to show that he has that part down pat, but the more important step comes with translating the results to the gridiron on Sundays.

Wilson has a humongous opportunity to change the narrative surrounding his aging career, and the Giants are hungry to bounce back into relevancy.

Waiting closely behind him is the rookie arm, Jaxson Dart, who is eager to be the player who alters the course of the franchise for years to come and who the current leadership seems excited to represent in their quest to remain around beyond 2025.

Should this report be true and things start to turn away from Wilson quickly, as they have in Denver and Pittsburgh in recent seasons, it wouldn’t be a total shock if the murmurs start to grow into loud chants for Dart to replace Wilson and keep the offense together through what could be a complete storm of a slate for the Giants.

Wilson has to realize that early on and sharpen his leadership skills to ensure he remains the captain of the ship for more than just a few weeks.

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