The New York Giants have the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is almost guaranteed to land them either Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward, assuming they opt for a quarterback over another position.
Neither Sanders nor Ward is a generational prospect, meaning it could be in their best interest to sit behind a veteran QB for at least half a season. The free agency market may not have any incredibly talented, eye-catching names, but it is home to multiple competent veterans capable of winning games for the Giants.
Giants Predicted To Acquire Russell Wilson in Free Agency
The reality is Wilson is far from the player the Denver Broncos inked to a five-year, $242 million contract. His time with the Broncos fell apart, which led him to a cheap, one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he brought his value out of the depths.
This could entice the Giants enough to add him on a short-term deal and act as a mentor to Sanders or Ward. ESPN’s Matt Bowen named New York as the best destination for Wilson, predicting him to give the Giants’ front office some job security while also developing the future of their franchise.
“Sitting at No. 3 in the draft order, the Giants are in the mix to land a quarterback with their first-round pick this spring,” Bowen wrote. “But adding Wilson would give them some security heading into the draft.”
Wilson is ranked as PFSN’s No. 81 free agent, meaning it shouldn’t take much to bring him to New York.
Here’s what PFSN’s Ben Rolfe wrote about Wilson in our Top 100 Free Agent Rankings: “Wilson was fine after taking over as the starter from [Justin] Fields, but he did not elevate Pittsburgh over what Fields provided or proved to be any ‘safer.’ He finished the year with a -0.00 EPA/DB (23rd) and ranks outside the top 20 both from a clean pocket (0.23 EPA/DB) and when pressured (-0.38 EPA/DB).
“Wilson has struggled in the fourth quarter of close games (28th) and has just a 38.8% conversion rate on third down (17th). He largely put together a solid showing on Wild Card Weekend. He finished with a B- grade on the week (80.5) and was far from the reason that the Steelers lost to the Ravens.
“Wilson finished with a 0.10 EPA/DB, 8.7 nYPA, and a 40% third-down conversion rate, all of which are good without being good enough. While he didn’t cost the Steelers the game, he didn’t really do anything to win it for them, either.”
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The Giants’ offense was near the bottom of the league last season per PFSN, so a QB room of Wilson and a rookie could be a strong step in the right direction.
Not to mention, potential superstar WR Malik Nabers would finally have a respectable QB to hit him down the field. Although Wilson was the No. 17-ranked signal-caller in PFSN’s QB+ metric, it’s still a step up from Daniel Jones (32nd-ranked).
“In 11 starts for the Steelers, Wilson completed 63.7% of his throws for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns. Because of his diminished mobility, Wilson isn’t a natural creator at this stage. But Giants coach Brian Daboll can scheme for Wilson, using a play-action-heavy approach and setting him up on vertical throws,” Bowen concluded.
There’s really no telling how long Wilson will be able to perform as a respectable starter, but the services of a former All-Pro can always be of use.
Over the course of his 13-year NFL career, Wilson has appeared in 199 games and thrown for 46,135 yards, 350 touchdowns, and 111 interceptions on a 64.7% completion percentage while rushing for 5,462 yards and 31 scores.