NY Giants Are Counting on Russell Wilson to Rejuvenate Offense

Can Russell Wilson help turn the Giants offense from mediocre to a more prosperous group this season?

Jun 17, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) speaks at a press conference during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Giants’ quarterback room has taken on a new persona in advance of the 2025 season. Much of the outside noise has been circulating around rookie Jaxson Dart and his potential to be the future at the position, but for now, it belongs to his teammate, Russell Wilson, who is being looked to as the one who can get the franchise back on the right track.

Wilson, the 14-year pro and Super Bowl champion, is joining his fourth team, the Giants, where he has been inked in as the starter. The Giants do not want to rush Dart in his early development under head coach Brian Daboll, and they ensured that plan can stay firm with Wilson and Jameis Winston signed to fill the top of the depth chart. 

In Wilson’s case, he has made a name for himself with his signature moon balls that recently ignited the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense into the 16th-best unit and a postseason berth in the 2024 season.

The Giants are hoping that same success can translate to their young group, which has a few potential breakout players, yet has lacked the pairing with a good quarterback needed to shine.  

As much as the organization has pressure on the shoulders of some leaders off the field, there is the same pressure on Wilson to get the Giants offense back in a competitive direction in what sets up to be one of the hardest schedules in the NFL. 

If he can’t accomplish that, the worst nightmares of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll regime—that is, throwing Dart to the wolves early in his rookie season— might have to come true, if nothing else than to spare the entirety of the current organization that is walking on thin ice.

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Russell Wilson, QB

• Height: 5-11
• Weight: 215 lbs
• Exp: 14 Years
• School: Wisconsin
• How Acquired: FA-’25

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2024 in Review

Russell Wilson (3) in the Steelers' AFC wild card game vs. the Ravens. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In looking at Wilson’s 2024 season, some Giants fans might be concerned that his annual production has started to see a dip from the prime of his career. However, they can’t discount that he missed the first six games of the year due to a calf injury sustained in training camp that sidelined him for that span. 

When he returned, the Steelers wasted no time making the change at the helm from Justin Fields, who had led them to a 4-2 start, to Wilson, the veteran, who carried them to a 10-7 finish and an appearance in the AFC Wild Card round. In 11 starts, the 36-year-old compiled 214 completions for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions, good for the 22nd highest in the league. 

While there are additional concerns about his health, the fact is that Wilson made some important improvements when he was on the field. Those include his 63.7% completion percentage, which was as low as 60.5% two years ago in Denver, a 7.4 average pass completion, and a reduction in turnovers to a career low after posting double digits in the same 2022 season with the Broncos. 

The Steelers’ run game was among the best in the NFL last season, thus taking a lot of the pressure off Wilson to produce 300+ yard passing outings to win games for the black and yellow. He still tallied seven 200+ yard games, including a season-high 76.3% day for 414 yards and three touchdowns in Week 13 against the Bengals. 

Additionally, Wilson once again used his staple moonball to elevate the Steelers offense into a solid deep threat team. He finished as the fourth-ranked quarterback in deep passing grade (95.0) and completed half of his 20+ air yard passes for 697 yards, five touchdowns, and only two interceptions. He did it with the 10 shortest time to throw (2.77 seconds) and a 34.7% big time throw rate. 

Outside of his aerial production, Wilson also gave the Steelers 43 rushes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, albeit he lost the football twice on those attempts and posted the lowest ground yardage of his career. 

Wilson couldn’t get Pittsburgh over the hump in the opening round of the postseason, though, completing 69% of his passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns while being sacked four times in a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which was not as close as the score might indicate.

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Contract/Cap Info

The Giants and Wilson agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million contract this offseason, with $10 million guaranteed ($8 million signing bonus and $2 million base salary). 

Wilson’s $11,029,412 cap hit also includes a $500,000 workout bonus and $529,412 in other bonuses. His cap figure is the seventh-highest on the Giants’ roster. 

2025 Preview

As the Giants head into the 2025 season with Wilson as their lead arm, the air in the room will be split on his newest challenge. Some will believe that he can help Brian Daboll transform the team’s offense into a more explosive scheme, while others will want the franchise to keep a short leash, allowing Dart to take over if he struggles in the first several games. 

While that thought will loom in the back of Daboll’s mind through the entire season, as it could become his last-ditch option to salvage his job in New York, the Giants have been consistent that it’s Wilson’s huddle to start the season with Jameis Winston backing him up. 

Wilson has a healthy group of solid playmakers and an offensive line around him, and the unit should show signs of moving the football more efficiently if it all stays together for more than the six games we saw last fall. It’s an exciting rebranding from the quite boring offense the Giants made fans watch, and only to win one home game at MetLife Stadium.