After being benched for rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart after just three games, New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson’s future remains up in the air.
According to some reporters, the Giants have no intention of trading the 36-year-old 10-time Pro Bowler, but some team and league insiders say otherwise.
Quarterback is arguably the Giants’ most stacked position. Not only do they have Wilson and Dart, who threw for 111 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 54 yards and an additional score in New York’s first win of the season against the Chargers in Week 4, but they also have Jameis Winston, who has 87 games of NFL starting experience behind them both.
More NFL: NFL Punishes Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker Before Facing Buccaneers
And while the Giants may not be advertising the fact that Wilson could be available via trade, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones recently reported that the Giants seem to be open to entertaining offers, and the asking price seems pretty reasonable.
“The Giants have not actively shopped Wilson since benching him in Week 4, sources say, but the league at large understands he could be dealt,” Jones wrote. “The acquiring team would owe Wilson only the prorated portion of his $2 million base salary while giving up what sources believe would be a Day 3 draft pick.
“New York is less likely to deal third-string quarterback Jameis Winston after signing him to a two-year contract in the offseason.”
More NFL: 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Hit With Massive Fine Days After Beating Rams
More NFL: Dillon Gabriel Sends Clear Message to Shedeur Sanders After Browns QB Move
It makes sense that the Giants would want to keep Winston, who’s under contract for the 2026 season, and deal Wilson, who will be a free agent next March, for several reasons.
As long as Wilson is on the bench, he’s always going to be a $10.5 million distraction. And anytime Dart struggles, there’s always going to be the looming question of whether New York should go back to Wilson instead of letting Dart work through adversity.
There are a handful of teams — the Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns — that could use a veteran presence like Wilson given their respective QB situations, and a team like the Baltimore Ravens could be in the market for a passer if Lamar Jackson’s injury forces him to miss multiple games.
And if the ask is just a fifth-, sixth-, or seventh-round pick to acquire Wilson, the Giants would be smart to recoup some sort of draft capital for him rather than risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season.
More NFL: Cowboys Get More Brutal Injury News Before Facing the Jets
