Russell Wilson is moving on to yet another team this offseason after signing with the New York Giants. After a disappointing finish to 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, both Wilson and the Steelers moved in different directions.
Wilson didn’t have the best of the seasons in 2024, but still found plenty of interest in the market before he chose the Giants. Why the Giants over everyone else? Because of second-year receiver Malik Nabers.
Russell Wilson Explains How Malik Nabers Shaped His Move to New York
Wilson has been trying to stabilize the downward spiral of his career since his prime days with the Seattle Seahawks. He ended up with his third team this season, as the Giants signed him to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million.
The Giants also signed Jameis Winston and drafted Jaxson Dart, meaning Wilson’s starting job isn’t guaranteed without performance. However, what pushed him to eventually put pen to paper was the dynamic playmaking skills of Nabers.
“New York and this opportunity here to play here, the world’s biggest market, the toughest, one of the toughest divisions in football… a lot of odds against you….I just turned on the film and watching this guy Malik Nabers, man, this dude’s a superstar,” Wilson said during an appearance on “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony.”
“I saw him, I was watching the film and just before I tried to make decisions, try to get a clear understanding of who the players are, this and that, and obviously you see the highlights and everything else, but when you watch every single catch and every single rep and every play, you get to see the kind of player he is, man, he’s dynamic.”
Nabers was perhaps the best rookie receiver in 2024, and posted 109 receptions on 170 targets for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns en route to his maiden Pro Bowl selection. He did so despite suffering from an inadequate QB play at best, with Daniel Jones being released, and seeing Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito on the field.
With Wilson leading a better quarterback room now in New York, the hope is that Nabers’ production only goes up from here. But he wasn’t the only factor that played a part in Wilson’s decision. Head coach Brian Daboll did too.
“I really liked [Brian] Daboll too,” Wilson added. “Obviously watching Dabes over the years, the guy who was a coach of the year, I dunno, two, three years ago, brilliant mind spending time with him actually came out here last year before I signed with Pittsburgh last time too and I just had a great appreciation of his mind for the game and how he saw the game.”
While some predicted a full-blown QB competition after the Giants drafted Dart, Giants GM Joe Schoen has made it clear that Wilson will be getting first-team reps.
The numbers support that choice. 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.
Winston, meanwhile, went 2-5 in seven starts for the Browns, tossing 12 interceptions to 13 touchdowns and finishing with a far less efficient 80.6 rating, while Dart is widely believed to need a year to develop into a capable starter.
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.
