Giants Benching Russell Wilson For Jaxson Dart

Giants HC Brian Daboll wouldn’t commit to Wilson as the starter on Monday, which made this seem inevitable. Since mid-August, it’s been clear that the Giants were impressed with Dart and would have a tough time justifying keeping him off the field. 

Dart leapfrogged veteran QB Jameis Winston as the primary backup and has had a package of plays installed to alternate with Wilson in the first few games of the year. 

At 0-3 and with Wilson struggling mightily in two of those games, Daboll clearly felt the team needed the spark by turning to the rookie. 

Dart, 21, was a four-star recruit ranked as the No. 2 player in Utah and the No. 13 overall QB in the 2021 recruiting class. He committed to USC in December 2020 and spent one year there before entering the transfer portal. He committed to Ole Miss and spent the next three seasons there.

The Giants used the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Dart. He’s projected to sign a four-year, $16,954,982 contract that includes a $8,970,895 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.

In his collegiate career, Dart appeared in 45 games over four seasons and completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 11,970 yards, 81 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He also rushed 393 times for 1,541 yards and 14 touchdowns. 

Wilson, 36, is a former third-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2012. He was entering the final year of his five-year, $89.142 million contract when the Seahawks signed him to a four-year, $140 million extension that included a $65 million signing bonus. 

The Seahawks traded him to the Broncos in 2022 in a blockbuster deal. Wilson stood to make base salaries of $19 million and $22 million over the final two years of his deal when he agreed to a new five-year, $245 million extension that included $165 million in guaranteed money.

However, Wilson didn’t even reach the new portion of his deal before being released by the Broncos, who absorbed a record $85 million dead cap hit. The Steelers later signed him to a one-year contract for the veteran minimum. 

After playing out that contract, Wilson signed with the Giants for the 2025 season on another one-year pact. 

In 2025, Wilson has appeared in three games for the Giants and completed 59.1 percent of his pass attempts for 778 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, adding 16 carries for 94 yards.