The 2025 NFL offseason has brought a flurry of changes to the league’s landscape, especially where quarterbacks are concerned. Geno Smith and Sam Darnold are just a couple of signal-callers who have relocated over the last few weeks, and now there’s another on the move.
If you hear carnival music, rest assured you aren’t imagining things — it’s just the quarterback carousel continuing to spin… around and around it goes.
After signing veteran Russell Wilson to a one-year deal on Tuesday afternoon, the New York Giants suddenly have an interesting position battle on their hands to determine who will be under center.
The case for Wilson
Wilson may be 36 years old, but that doesn’t mean the 10-time Pro Bowler is completely cooked. In 11 games as a Pittsburgh Steeler last season, Wilson threw for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns as he led the team to a playoff appearance. While not every game was a pretty one, posted a 3.2-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio, and tied for the second-lowest INT% of his career at 1.5%.
While his completion percentage was slightly below the 65.3% league average, 76.4% of his throws were on target and his air yards per attempt rebounded a bit compared to in 2023. He threw for 225.6 yards per game, and of course, Wilson also showed he can still connect on deep balls to take the top off a defense.
Wins aren’t a QB stat on their own, but the Steelers did go 6-5 with Wilson as a starter. The veteran signal caller didn’t necessarily win games on his own, but he took care of business for the most part and kept Pittsburgh competitive. That’s the thing — he’s more of a game manager at this point of his career (though it felt like vintage Russ came out to cook during his 414-yard, three-TD performance in a shootout win over the Cincinnati Bengals). For teams with any real aspirations, he’s a passable-at-best, but uninspiring, choice as a starter.
Thankfully for the Giants, the organization likely knows it won’t be competing for a Super Bowl during the upcoming 2025 campaign. The addition of Wilson feels like a culture reset of sorts with a reliable-but-limited presence under center, and perhaps more importantly, a veteran voice in the locker room after a dismal 3-14 finish last season.
The case for Winston
However, Wilson isn’t the only veteran in the quarterback room. Earlier this month, the Giants agreed to a two-year deal with Jameis Winston, a notorious gunslinger who airs the rock out with little regard for the risks involved.
Winston appeared in nine contests for the Cleveland Browns last season, tallying 2,121 yards and 13 touchdowns. In his seven starts once Deshaun Watson went down with an Achilles tear, Winston averaged 291.1 yards per game, which would have placed him first among all quarterbacks in the statistic. His passing volume was prolific at 40.6 attempts per game and he also threw 12 touchdowns as a starter.
However, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The 31-year-old’s completion percentage of 61.1% was more than four percentage points below the league-average mark, and he boasted the second-highest INT% of all quarterbacks at 4.1%, a worse mark than Will Levis and Kirk Cousins, the latter of whom paced the NFL in INTs. With 12 picks, Winston’s 1-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio was abysmal and he often threw his team out of games, despite some absurdly-high raw numbers. Again, wins aren’t a QB stat, but the Browns amassed a 2-5 record in Winston’s starts.
From a fantasy football perspective, Winston would be an awesome starter in New York thanks to his gunslinging tendencies. Could he get Malik Nabers close to the 2,000-yard mark if he hyper-targets the young receiver? Possibly, which is honestly the most fun scenario. However, Winston’s turnover-prone nature makes him a high-risk option for the Giants in 2025, even if his hypothetical upside is higher than Wilson’s.
Who will start?
In all actuality, it’s far more likely Wilson begins the upcoming season under center for New York rather than Winston. The former is an elder statesman whose presence will likely do more to stabilize a rebuilding team than Winston would. The Giants are in need of this kind of steady veteran at the game’s most important position.
For more evidence, look toward the contract situation of each player. Wilson’s deal, while only one year, is reportedly penciled in for up to $21 million — that’s starter money, otherwise he becomes the NFL’s most expensive backup. As for Winston, his contract is reportedly a two-year deal worth $8 million, which is much more in line with other backup quarterbacks around the league.
As tantalizing as Winston’s gunslinging is, Wilson represents a one-year stopgap as the Giants hit the reset button and keep building for the future. Could the team make a switch if Wilson underperforms this season? It’s absolutely within the realm of possibility. However, this appears to be Russ’ job to lose.
It’s worth mentioning things will get more interesting when draft season rolls around. The Giants hold the third-overall selection in the first round and are linked to both Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, though there’s more smoke regarding the team’s interest in the Colorado product. There’s a chance both could be on the board when the Giants are on the clock, though they could always wait on a signal-caller and see what talent is available later in the draft. If they do decide to draft a young talent, that selection may be relegated to the bench for a year while they learn from the veterans.
