What Russell Wilson likes about Giants coaches after Steelers stint

New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson spent the spring working with head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mike Kafka after Wilson featured for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. 

While meeting with media members at the Giants' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Wilson spoke highly of what he's seen from the team's coaches over the past handful of months. 

"I think the coaching staff is tremendous," Wilson said, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "...I think what makes a great coach is the ability to teach, to be able to teach young guys, to be able to teach veterans to be able to constantly learn. I think being on that constant quest for knowledge is such a necessary thing, and that’s the part that I love the most."

Wilson missed the first six weeks of the 2024 season while recovering from a lingering calf problem that first popped up during the summer. While he later guided the Steelers to six wins over his first seven starts, he and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith reportedly "did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could" as the Steelers endured a five-game losing streak that lasted through the playoffs.

As for Daboll, it's believed he and his staff could be shown the door by Giants co-owner John Mara if the club experiences a third straight losing campaign. Per ESPN stats, Big Blue finished the 2024 regular season ranked 30th in the league with an average of 294.8 offensive yards gained per game and 31st with an average of 16.1 points scored per contest. 

That said, multiple Giants players suggested throughout the club's offseason program that they're confident Wilson will give the team better performances than it got from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito last season. Wilson is on track to enter this coming September as New York's QB1 over backup Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart.

"I think to be able to get guys their confidence at the highest level every day," Wilson added about embracing his role as the leader of the Giants offense. "I think that’s the job of the quarterback, is to facilitate the ball at the right guy at the right time, but also to facilitate that motivation daily for each guy and find their why daily, find their greatness daily, find that greatness in the huddle, that play, and find those special moments throughout practice to communicate with a guy, communicate with a group through film room...or on the field."

In the end, how Wilson performs when the games begin to matter will determine if Daboll feels a need to turn to Dart or Winston as soon as October. For now, Wilson will need to spend the next two and a half months focusing on staying healthy so he can avoid the type of setback he suffered last year.