Reporter argues Giants should change minds about Russell Wilson decision

As of the morning of July 17, there was no indication that New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll will change his mind about naming veteran Russell Wilson the team's starting quarterback over primary backup Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, Giants reporter Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News suggested Daboll should reconsider that stance before training camp practices get underway on July 23. 

"What should matter, come the start of training camp next week, is whether he outplays Winston and Dart in July and August," Leonard wrote about Wilson. "...Wilson would earn more credibility with teammates if he beat out Winston in a fair fight rather than having the coaches bury Winston on the depth chart and limit his snaps."

Over seven starts and 12 games with the Cleveland Browns last season, Winston tossed 13 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. Cleveland lost five of those seven starts. 

That said, StatMuse shows that Wilson took more sacks (133) than any other quarterback and committed the 13th-most turnovers (35) among signal-callers from 2022-24. According to Pro Football Reference, Wilson ended the 2024 regular season ranked 24th in the league among qualified players with a 51.3 adjusted QBR and 28th with a 43.6% passing success rate. 

"...Wilson’s version of leadership, in weeks like this, sometimes feels as much like a Russell Wilson promotional tour as it does a championing of the Giants as a team," Leonard added. 

Leonard was referencing how Wilson's personality has seemingly rubbed teammates and coaches the wrong way over the past handful of years. In March 2022, a piece from The Athletic detailed how some Seattle Seahawks players felt "Wilson had checked out" during his final season with that organization. The one-time Super Bowl champion was later referred to as a "poser" during his Denver Broncos tenure that ran from 2022 through the 2023 campaign. More recently, Wilson and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith allegedly "did not have a very good working relationship" last season before Pittsburgh let Wilson reach free agency this past March. 

Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen clearly want Dart to develop as a backup throughout his rookie season. For what it's worth, the previous New England Patriots regime felt the same about Drake Maye last summer before he looked like the team's best quarterback by the end of preseason play. In October, then-head coach Jerod Mayo reportedly found himself dealing with a locker room that was "teetering on mutiny" until he benched struggling veteran Jacoby Brissett in favor of Maye.

"The best quarterback, the one who gives the team the most hope, should be the one [who] starts the Giants’ season opener at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7," Leonard concluded. "If Wilson earns that, then it should be him. But not making Wilson beat out Winston and Dart in camp would be disingenuous."

As of Thursday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Wilson as a massive -1400 betting favorite to be the Giants' Week 1 starter over Dart (+1060) and Winston (+1300). Such information shows how certain insiders feel about whether or not Wilson could lose his QB1 gig before Big Blue wraps the preseason up with a matchup versus the Patriots on Aug. 21.