Amidst all the anticipation about where Aaron Rodgers will sign for the 2025 NFL season, it's easy to forget that there is another veteran future Hall of Fame quarterback who is available as a free agent right now.
After a decent but overall disappointing season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Russell Wilson is there for the taking. He has been linked to a few teams, including the Steelers, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns.
But according to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, Wilson does seem to have a clear preference. The reporter said on SportsCenter that the 10-time Pro Bowler sees the Giants as a better option for him than Pittsburgh.
"I'm told that Aaron Rodgers has standing offers from both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, so it's up to him to decide," Fowler said during a Wednesday appearance on SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report). "This is his first foray into free agency in 20 years, so really nobody outside of his inner circle knows exactly what to expect. I get the sense, although this is fluid, the sense that Pittsburgh is willing to wait this out a little bit. Rodgers is their top target, so they'll see where it goes.
"... They got Russell Wilson still as sort of a contingency, but he's sort of been number two, number three on their list all along, and so I'm told that Russell Wilson sees the Giants as more of a viable option for him throughout this process."
Wilson isn't quite the player he was during his heyday with the Seattle Seahawks several years ago. In 2024, he threw for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns, both of which were career-lows, in 11 games while completing 63.7 percent of his pass attempts.
But he did manage to take the Steelers, a team that lacked high-end offensive firepower, to the playoffs after they posted a 10-7 regular-season record.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The Giants also don't have much offensive firepower, but they do have wide receiver Malik Nabers, who just completed a stellar rookie year with 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns.
They will have the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NFL draft, which means there is always the chance that even if they sign Wilson - or Rodgers, for that matter - they could draft a quarterback and have him sit for a year or two while he learns from one who has won a Super Bowl championship.
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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM.