The New York Giants invested $10.5 million in quarterback Russell Wilson, an investment that resulted in zero wins in three games before being pulled for rookie Jaxson Dart in Week 4.
Not only did Wilson go 0-3 as the starter, but in two out of three of his starts, he completed less than 60% of his passes and did not throw a touchdown pass. All of which has justifiably landed him on SI.com’s Gilberto Manzano’s list of the worst free-agent signings of 2025.
“The 37-year-old struggled to find any rhythm in two of his three starts. When he wasn’t playing the Cowboys, Wilson was slow to react and often resorted to chucking the ball downfield to Malik Nabers as if that was his only option,” Manzano said.
“Now on his fourth team, it’s clear that Wilson’s QB1 days are over.”
Wilson was brought in for his Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-winning pedigree; the Giants hoped that he would regain some of his magic from his days with Seattle, which would allow for Dart, their first-round pick, to sit and enjoy a redshirt year.
Such was not the case. The inconsistencies for Wilson were not what one would expect out of a veteran quarterback, especially in the red zone. In Wilson’s three starts, the Giants scored touchdowns on only three out of 10 red-zone appearances.
High-pressure scenarios, like attempting to score in the red zone, are situations the Giants’ coaching staff believed Wilson could excel in and help Dart learn from.
That ended up not being the case, and although Wilson has been a valuable mentor to Dart, head coach Brian Daboll believes that on the field, Dart will give the offense a better chance to have success moving forward.
That held for Dart through Week 4, who led the Giants to their first win of the season over the Chargers. There were struggles for Dart in Week 5, as he turned it over three times en route to a 26-14 loss to the Saints.
Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) signals to teammates against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
However, the Giants staff remains confident in him as the starter for the remainder of the season.
It is possible that the Giants could try to trade Wilson and turn his tenure into a somewhat profitable trade in the market.
The only problem with that is that Wilson’s value as a starting quarterback has declined tremendously, and one of the only quarterback-needy teams, the Cincinnati Bengals, has just traded for Joe Flacco, thereby shrinking the potential market for Wilson.
If the Giants are unable to move Wilson, and he never takes another snap in a Giants uniform, it is possible that his signing is indeed one of the worst from this past offseason.
At the time of the signing, it wasn’t necessarily a bad deal, especially with the Giants not knowing they would land Dart in the draft.
As it stands now, the only way that the Giants can turn the signing into a positive is by netting any form of draft capital back for him in a trade. If they fail to do so, there is an argument to be had that the money the Giants used to sign him could have been better spent on another position.
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