Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants on March 25 after spending last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was in talks with the Cleveland Browns and the Steelers, but he chose the four-time Super Bowl champions in New York.
Wilson’s arrival has changed a lot of things in the Giants’ locker room, and a former fifth-round pick opened up about the mentality the Super Bowl XLVIII champion brings with him.
Darius Slayton Talks About the Massive Change Russell Wilson Has Brought to the New York Giants
Wilson signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Giants in March that could be worth as much as $21 million with incentives. The deal features $10.5 million in guaranteed money.
The team also signed Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million deal, which made Wilson’s signing a surprising move. Now, the Giants have two Pro Bowl quarterbacks with plenty of experience in different systems. The hope is that Wilson’s leadership helps steady the offense, while Winston can still provide sparks off the bench if needed.
Giants’ wide receiver Darius Slayton shared his views on the mentality change at the Giants with Wilson on the gridiron.
“He does throw a very good deep ball, right? But that’s obviously his mentality,” he said. “He wants to push the ball down the field and attack. So, if we’re in the huddle, we have a play, and there are certain plays where the ball is designed to go certain places, and on his head, he might be like,’ Hey, you got the post here, but you’re not dead'”
Slayton continued, saying, “A lot of the times, you’d run a post corner, whatever different concepts, and the guy underneath always gets the ball. You’re the guy running deep, you are just kinda like running for the love, but he’s like “hey, if the safety drops, I’ll get it to you”, and he’s done that multiple times over at camp… You are gonna run anyway, but it gives you a little extra juice.”
Darius Slayton on the mentality change at Giants QB w/ Russell Wilson.
“A lot of the times you’d run a vertical concept and the ball keeps going underneath, underneath, but Russ will alert you “hey if the safety drops, I’ll get you the ball” and he’s actually done it a lot in… pic.twitter.com/1uTwK0mNCb— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) June 16, 2025
Wilson went 6-5 as a starter for the Steelers in 2024, throwing for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only five interceptions with a 95.6 passer rating. He also made his 10th career Pro Bowl and helped Pittsburgh reach the playoffs.
Wilson ranked No. 71 in PFSN’s free agent rankings, with the outlet noting his decline in mobility and effectiveness outside the pocket. His regression has been steady, making a rebound in his age-36 season more of a surprise than a sure bet.
The Giants finished near the bottom of the league in Offense+ metrics, ranking last in red-zone touchdown rate at 43%. With numbers like that, even a modest boost from Wilson could be a game-changer.
The Giants appear ready to hand the reins to Wilson, and if he performs anything like the confident, poised leader he’s shown himself to be throughout his career, New York could see a sharp turnaround.