The transition from one organization to another for an NFL quarterback isn't always a smooth and flawless change. Just because one has achieved some level of success in one spot, it doesn't necessarily mean that experience will mirror itself in their new city.
For New York Giants quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, who find themselves entrenched in trying to revive a historic franchise in the Big Apple, the stakes could not be any higher.
One, if not both will have a chance to uplift the Giants' offense in 2025 and bring some respect back to it, but there have been early doubters who seem to expect them to fail.
If and when they do, there is a rookie prodigy in Jaxson Dart sitting behind them and waiting for his opportunity to enter the fold and bring his skillset that flashed at Ole Miss into a professional huddle.
The Giants continue to assert that Dart will go through a redshirt-style season in his first year, but that could only be good until the preceding options aren't working and pressure mounts for him to play.
Among the naysayers of the new veteran signal-callers in New York are NFL.com senior writer Kevin Patra and his latest analysis for the outlet, which aimed to project performances by quarterbacks who switched teams this offseason.
In the analysis, Patra believes that neither player between Wilson and Winston has earned the right to just be handed the starting job by head coach Brian Daboll and company. Still, he also thinks none of that might matter as he forecasts both guys to finish with far less production than they amassed with their former franchises in the 2024 season.
"Brian Daboll might have already named Wilson the starter, but I'm going to keep writing that one in pencil," Patra said. "Nothing Wilson has done in the past three years has indicated he should be handed a starting job at this stage.
"Winston, on the flip side, will have some massive games, like we saw in Cleveland. But the turnovers will persist. Chaos is part of the experience. He's far more entertaining than Wilson but also less predictable."
"Neither veteran, in my book, is a sure thing. Wilson's contract and Daboll's comments give him the first shot. Given the pressure on the coaching staff and front office, I'd bet on Jaxson Dart appearing earlier than expected."
The odd man in the Giants' quarterback equation feels like it is Winston who has no guarantee that he will see the field this upcoming campaign. He was slated to be a potential starter until Wilson arrived and was paid more guaranteed money in his deal that suggested he would be playing right away.
The selection of Dart could even throw a wrench in his probability of actually serving as the team's backup as well.
Should Wilson struggle to show flashes of his younger self and lead the Giants to more wins in the first half of the season, Daboll could skip right over Winston and tap on his rookie's shoulders to learn under fire and convince ownership not to create massive structural change.
There is a good chance that Winston could be traded as a trade asset before or during the regular season, as the team needs to adjust to the league's injuries to the most important position on the field.
By having two options alongside him and fearing his nagging turnover woes, it might not be the worst thing if Winston doesn't surpass his statistics from his stint in Cleveland.
On the other hand, it would be a real disappointment if Wilson doesn't get near the same numbers from his one season with the Steelers because he will presumably be getting to play healthy from the jump and, therefore, have more games to stack his production, which still ranked in the top 25 at the position last fall.
The Giants will be counting on Wilson's decent mobility and deep ball-throwing ability to strengthen their offensive attack from the 32nd-ranked unit they were in 2024, and he now has a bunch of targets who can help him juice the numbers quickly.
At the forefront is wide receiver Malik Nabers, who notched over 1,200 receiving yards alone as a rookie and accounted for over a quarter of Wilson's passing touchdowns total last year.
As long as he keeps the offense moving and doesn't turn the ball over in the face of some pressure, which are the utmost concerns with Wilson at his age and stage of his career, he can have a better stat line and negate some of the negativity that has been coming his way since the Giants signed him to a one-year pact.
Those people forget how miserable the Giants quarterback room was last season once Daniel Jones was released, and they had to resort to running a carousel at the position the rest of the way.
The lack of consistency stunted any hopes of gelling within the offense, and no replacement arm surpassed 1,100 passing yards before the season concluded.
Thus, Wilson's production isn't all that bad, nor is it implausible to overachieve in 2025. It's a tough schedule ahead for the Giants, but he'll be given a fair enough leash before anybody starts to look in the direction of Dart to show what he's made of and appease the cries for his involvement.
The Giants made a slew of moves at the helm for a reason, and meeting expectations, now or in the future, was at the core of their decision-making.
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