Details of Russell Wilson’s meeting with the Giants simplified his choice to join the Steelers.
There seemed to be a real possibility that the NY Giants would sign Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson to a cheap one-year contract a few days earlier in the offseason. Wilson did, however, ultimately decide to sign a contract to play for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.
It turns out that after his brief discussion with Giants general manager Joe Schoen in East Rutherford, Wilson’s decision was considerably simpler. Wilson was informed by the Big Blue front staff that playing time would not be assured and that he would have to fight with Jones for the starting role, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
Russ didn’t have to compete for a seat in East Rutherford because the Steelers offered him the job on Day 1. Instead, he opted to join the AFC North team.
Russell Wilson was informed by the Giants that he would have to compete with Daniel Jones for the position of quarterback.
Wilson obviously felt that the Steelers were a better match and circumstance for him than the Giants. Having said that, it appears from Howe’s story that the Giants may not be quite ready to abandon their $160 million commitment to Danny Dimes.
The G-Men made headlines when they signed former second-round pick Drew Lock to a $5 million, one-year contract. Not long after, Lock signed with New York to compete for the starting job, which caused Seattle Hawks general manager John Schneider to draw a lot of criticism.
At his opening news conference, Lock put an end to such discussions by declaring that Jones was the starter and that he would be prepared to support him. Although there is a lot of talk about the Giants selecting a new quarterback in the first round of the draft, Schoen may choose to consider Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers, two outstanding receivers, at No. 6 overall.
Jones just finished a 2023 nightmare in which he started just six games, threw two touchdowns, and picked up six picks. He suffered a neck ailment that kept him out of several games, and then in Week 9, he tore his ACL. He’s working hard in recovery and looked great on stage during a Zach Bryan show lately.
Wilson, who will now have Justin Fields in the QB room, is prepared to guide the Steelers quarterbacks. Wilson might have ultimately defeated Jones in the race for the MetLife position, but we’ll never know how it would have turned out. But once the draft is here, we’ll know a lot more about the Giants’ and Schoen’s assessment of Jones’ prospects of making a breakthrough in his career.
