Russell Wilson reportedly may not have been the best mentor for Giants' Jaxson Dart

Back in November, then-New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart insisted that veteran signal-callers Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston had been "great leaders" and "mentors" during what became a difficult season for everybody involved. 

Wilson began September as the Giants' QB1, but he was benched in favor of Dart after Big Blue opened the campaign with three straight losses. It sounds like Wilson may not have been the most pleasant person with the Giants after he lost the starting job to Dart.

Russell Wilson made things "awkward" for Giants after benching? 

"Wilson, 37, repeatedly tried to force his way out of New York last season when rookie Jaxson Dart became the face of the franchise," NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared for a piece published on Tuesday. "Things got very awkward behind the scenes, and it’s yet another reason why teams are treading very lightly with a player who once seemed to be on a Hall of Fame trajectory."

Winston and not Wilson started two November games that Dart missed when he was in the NFL's concussion protocol. While Winston is currently on track to serve as Dart's primary backup later this year, Wilson is an available free agent who may not find a new NFL employer anytime soon. 

Stories from earlier in March linked Wilson with the Kansas City Chiefs, but they recently acquired Justin Fields. According to La Canfora, "multiple executives who made moves at quarterback this offseason said Wilson was not even a consideration for them."

Why teams have passed on Russell Wilson this offseason

Since the end of the 2023 season, the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and now the Giants have all parted ways with Wilson. While he probably wouldn't be the worst quarterback on an active NFL roster this fall, one unnamed personnel executive told La Canfora that there simply "isn’t a market for Russell Wilson" this spring. 

"[Wilson's] declining skills, inability to seemingly grasp how far he has fallen from his peak years and great skepticism about his ability to fully grasp being a mentor-type backup have left him without a market as the draft fast approaches," La Canfora added.

La Canfora's update suggests Wilson may have already taken the final regular-season snap of his career. It's a shocking fall for a quarterback who signed a five-year, $245M contract extension with the Broncos in September 2022.