New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson had a decision to make as he perused his options in free agency. Coming off a semi-successful season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson visited both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. He could have waited for the Aaron Rodgers festivities to conclude, hoping to find newfound leverage as teams approached the draft without a starting quarterback.
Instead, he guaranteed that he would not be the final domino to fall.
On Tuesday, Wilson signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Giants. An indictment on his surefire expectations to start, it also includes incentives that could improve that mark to $21 million.
Ultimately, Wilson choseNew York, rather than waiting for other teams to prioritize alternate options. He did so, in part, because of the staff he'd be working with.
Wednesday, Wilson reviewed the Giants coaching staff.
"Yeah, I think (Brian) Daboll is one of the most competitive guys," Wilson said via team transcript. "You get to see it in terms of his play calling over the years. He's coached some amazing guys, guys like Josh Allen, Tua, Jalen Hurts in college and stuff, just some other places he's been.
"There has been some familiar people I know that he knows as well that he's close with. We've been able to bond on that and just the experience of loving the game. This guy has won five Super Bowls I believe it is, being with the Patriots, won a national championship. He's been around greatness and knows what it looks like and sounds like."
From Pete Carroll to Sean Payton and Mike Tomlin, Wilson has been surrounded by elite head coaches for almost the entirety of his career. Perhaps putting pen to paper in East Rutherford, rather than mending things with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, joining Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, or pivoting to the Tennessee Titans says something about Daboll.
Of course, things haven't gone great for New York or its head coach since 2022, when he shocked the world with a playoff appearance. The smoke and mirrors dissipated, Daniel Jones faltered, and Daboll wasn't able to muster competitive teams without a quarterback.
Wilson, at the very least, offers competence. It's on Daboll to maximize him.
"This guy has been the coach the year not that long ago, couple years ago," he said. "There is a standard that he knows what that looks like, especially offensively, and how he sees the game. I really love that part about him and what he brings to the table."
With Wilson's proclivity for the deep ball and a receiving corps with two boundary threats built to weaponize it, the veteran quarterback could find himself in his cleanest fit since leaving Seattle.
Related: BREAKING: Giants Sign Russell Wilson
He'll hope to parlay that trust into results in 2025.
"What I really like about Dabs is just his mentality, his attack mentality. We haven't been able to talk a whole bunch of ball yet, but I've been able to see a bunch over the years and understand who he is.
"I think that's the exciting part about what we can do and all the guys we have around us."
Related: Giants Pick Winston's Competition in Two-Round Mock
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This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 9:10 PM.
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