When Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants this offseason, it appeared he’d have little to no competition to be the team’s QB1 for the 2025.
Sure, his one-year, $10.5 million contract doesn’t scream job security (it could be worth up to $21 million with incentives), but with Jameis Winston as the only real threat to his starting gig at the time that he signed, Wilson’s role was safe.
Then came the 2025 NFL Draft, when the Giants traded back into the first round and selected Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart with the 25th overall pick.
It was at that moment that the hourglass on Wilson’s time as Big Blue’s starter was flipped.
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The Giants have banged the drum of Dart sitting all season; that 2025 will be a redshirt year for him. But we all know what really happens with first-round quarterbacks. Once New York hits a losing streak, Dart’s redshirt year will turn into a depth chart promotion and his first NFL start.
It feels like a foregone conclusion that the changing of the guard will happen at some point at or near the midseason mark, so much so that Wilson appeared on a recent list of quarterbacks who are most likely to be benched in 2025.
“If the quarterback picks up where he left off in the back half of last season, the coaching staff shouldn’t wait long to yank him and find out what Winston still has left in the tank,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay wrote. “If the infamously turnover-prone veteran can’t right the ship, Dart should get a fair shake and opportunities to earn reps that could help the G-Men turn things around in 2026 and beyond.”
I don’t think it will take a bunch of turnovers or sloppy play by Wilson to lead to his benching. Instead, self-preservation will kick in for coach Brian Daboll, who knows his job is tied to more than wins; he has to prove he can develop Dart into a franchise quarterback, and the only way to prove that is by getting him on the field.
So, yeah, Wilson is a good bet to be one of the many starting quarterbacks to get benched this season, and there’s a good chance he’ll be looking for a new team yet again next year.
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