NY Giants Quarterback Situation Doesn’t Inspire Confidence in New Ranking by The Athletic

The Athletic puts Giants QB Russell Wilson in the second to last tier in a new ranking.

Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The New York Giants are counting on quarterback Russell Wilson to lead them, but a new ranking by Mike Sando of The Athletic of the 32 quarterback situations in the league isn’t so convinced that Wilson is the answer.

The Giants quarterback situation landed in Sando’s fourth tier, which covers “an unproven player (not enough information for voters to classify) or a veteran who ideally would not start all 17 games.” 

Wilson is certainly not an unproven player, but an argument could be made that he fits the question of whether he’ll enjoy good enough health to start all 17 games.

No one can sit there and guarantee that any quarterback will play all 17 games, as injuries strike at random in this game. Using just the health factor as the criteria here, there is no way quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford of the Rams (Tier 1), Aaron Rodgers of the Steelers, and Tua Tagovailoa of the Dolphins (both Tier 3) should be ranked higher. 

Something more to the ranking?

Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) on the sidelines in the third quarter game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

But maybe it’s more than just the injury factor; perhaps the voters that Sando invited to participate felt that at some point the Giants might flip the switch to rookie Jaxson Dart, who is coming off of an impressive NFL debut in last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills.

Still, in looking at the Giants quarterback room as a whole, no one can argue that the talent hasn’t been vastly upgraded–and that includes the decision to retain Tommy DeVito from last year’s group. 

Wilson has drawn rave reviews from his teammates for his meticulous attention to detail, and he seems to be a natural at rallying guys around him on both sides of the ball, as well as having an infectious positive attitude, which is a plus in today’s sports locker rooms, especially when adversity strikes.

Projected backup Jameis Winston might be a journeyman at this point in his career, but there’s no denying his arm strength and talent, even if sometimes he appears to take chances that he shouldn’t with the ball. 

Winston has shown he can win a few games as well, and while he doesn’t have the resume credentials like Wilson, the Giants could have done worse with their choice for a backup signal caller.

And then there’s Dart. While the fan base glows with excitement over the rookie’s debut, which promises hints of competent quarterback play that this team hasn’t had consistently ever since Eli Manning’s No. 10 was active, Dart’s progress so far in his transition from Ole Miss to the NFL has been on point.

That said, the Giants’ control in resisting the temptation to rush the rookie out there after a few good practices and a strong preseason debut is smart. 

Although the team probably knows deep down inside that they don’t yet have a group ready to challenge for a Super Bowl championship, they have taken significant steps toward fixing a roster that sorely lacked in a lot of areas last year, most importantly, the quarterback.  

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