The New York Giants took just three weeks to move on from veteran quarterback Russell Wilson and replace him with first-round rookie Jaxson Dart. The move was widely expected to happen at some point during the season, but having usurped Jameis Winston by Week 1, Dart was handed his debut start in Week 4.
So far, that move has paid dividends, with the rookie leading the Giants to their first win of the season, at the expense of the previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers. However, with a competent backup in Winston and a plethora of quarterback injuries around the league, it would make some sense for the Giants to move on from Wilson.
But who would be best positioned to trade for the 36-year-old Super Bowl winner?
Best Landing Spots for Russell Wilson with Potential Trade Away From the Giants Looming
Since being benched, Wilson has voiced his belief that he can still help the Giants and stated that he has no intention of requesting a trade. However, business is business, and having decided to move on from Wilson, the Giants would be wise to cash in.
Here are three teams that could move before November’s trade deadline, possibly sooner rather than later.
Cincinnati Bengals
In Zac Taylor’s seventh season as the Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach, he finally got off to a 2-0 start this year. Despite that, the Bengals arguably have a far worse chance of making the playoffs this year than they did after an 0-3 start to the 2024 campaign.
Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury put a spear through the team’s hopes of a successful season, with backup Jake Browning floundering in his place. The Bengals have lost two straight games since Burrow’s injury and have looked terrible in both games.
The team spent an incredible amount of money to keep star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future. However, the first year of that money will be wasted unless the team’s quarterback situation improves.
Of 37 qualifying quarterbacks, Browning ranks dead last in PFSN’s QB Impact score, having thrown three touchdowns to five interceptions so far this year. With Burrow set to miss most of the season, Wilson may be the team’s best bet to turn things around and make the playoffs for the first time in three years.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints had so little buzz heading into the season that it’s difficult to label their start as disappointing. Nevertheless, a 0-4 start is hard for any owner or general manager to ignore, and the team’s quarterback situation may need to change.
Bringing in a veteran quarterback may seem like an odd choice for a team with no playoff hopes, but none of the team’s current quarterbacks appear to be the franchise’s future. Spencer Rattler could be forgiven for struggling in 2024, with both his starting receivers sidelined, but he has now lost all 10 of his NFL starts.
Tyler Shough may have been a second-round pick, but the fact that he lost out to Rattler for the starting job is telling. Shough is the same age as Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, and Justin Fields, and should have been able to beat out a former fifth-round pick who’d lost all of his starts to that point.
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Rattler has been relatively safe with the ball to start the year, throwing just one interception to five touchdowns. However, his 7.8 yards per completion (YPC) ranks dead last among qualifying quarterbacks, while Wilson’s 11.9 YPC is tied for seventh.
The Saints would offer Wilson a potential multi-season home to see out his career and save him from more years of bouncing around on one-year deals. Wilson would offer New Orleans a solid floor on which to rebuild an aging roster.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns headed into the season as perhaps the least likely team to trade for a quarterback, but now find themselves in a very different situation. Kenny Pickett was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders as the team’s three options at the position.
After four weeks, the Browns have announced that Gabriel will be replacing Flacco as the team’s starter for Week 5, but that Sanders will remain the team’s third choice. Flacco’s benching doesn’t come as a huge surprise, given his awful start to the season.
The veteran’s two touchdowns are tied for the fewest among 33 qualifying quarterbacks, while his six interceptions are second-most behind only Geno Smith’s seven. Flacco’s 58.1% completion percentage is also second-worst on that list, while his veteran leadership has yielded just one win in four games.
“If you’re Shedeur Sanders right now, whatever you’re doing, I’m taking it up a whole other level, because Dillon [Gabriel] is not promised to stay in there.”
—@LRiddickESPN on Dillon Gabriel being named Browns’ starting QB pic.twitter.com/eVogt3Vps1
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 1, 2025
The decision not to promote Sanders to the team’s immediate backup spot has predictably sparked angry reactions from many. However, benched quarterbacks typically only fall one spot on the depth chart, regardless of who’s behind them.
It’s possible that Stefanski wants to give Gabriel his first NFL start without Sanders breathing down his neck, but it’s also possible that Sanders hasn’t earned a promotion. If the latter is true, and Gabriel struggles with the demands of NFL football, it’s not out of the question that the team moves for outside help.
If neither Gabriel nor Sanders is ready, the team will be in a difficult situation, having already publicly given up on Flacco. Gabriel is the starter for now, and maybe Sanders after that, but things could get messy quickly in Cleveland.
