- Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson is taking his talents to New York. He will sign a one-year, $21 million deal to be the Giants starter.
- Wilson spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing in 11 games and leading the team to a 6-5 record.
- The Giants signed Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million deal to be the backup quarterback just a day earlier.
Full Story
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson is signing a one-year deal with the New York Giants. The Big Apple will be Wilson’s third home in four years, following his trade from the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022.
How did Wilson play in Pittsburgh last year?
The 36-year-old will enter his 14th season in the NFL but played just 11 games in Pittsburgh last year. After suffering a calf injury during training camp, he started in week 7 and led the team to a 6-1 record. However, the Steelers finished on a five-game losing streak, including a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowler, has 350 career passing touchdowns, ranking 12th in NFL history. He was hopeful he’d be able to re-sign and finish his career in Pittsburgh.
“If you wanna play 20-plus years, you gotta love it, and I love the process,” Wilson said during his season-ending press conference. “I love the mentality, and I love competing with my teammates. So, that’s always been the plan, so I just trust the process.”
How many stops is this for the 10-time Pro Bowler?
Wilson spent 10 seasons in Seattle, where he led the Seahawks to two Super Bowls, winning it all in 2014. He was then traded to Denver, where he spent two tumultuous years. The deal with the Giants is reportedly worth close to $21 million for one year with $10.5 million guaranteed, making Wilson the presumptive starter over Jameis Winston, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract just a day earlier.
Back in January, Giants co-owner and President John Mara talked about the top priority for his team after deciding to keep Brian Daboll as head coach despite a 3-14 record.
“That’s obviously the number one issue for us going into this offseason, is to find our quarterback in the future, whether that be via the draft or acquiring a veteran,” Mara said. “It’s going to be up to them to decide, ultimately.”
What’s next for the Giants?
Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen decided on Wilson. However, with the third pick in April’s NFL draft, they can still take a young quarterback to learn under the roster’s two veterans.
Wilson’s signing leaves Aaron Rodgers as the highest-profile quarterback remaining on the free-agent market. Last week, Rodgers met with Wilson’s former team, the Steelers, but did not reach a deal.
