Giants should resist the temptation to trade for Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson would give the Giants a significant upgrade over Eli Manning, but a trade for the franchise quarterback doesn’t make sense for New York.
Playing in New York may hold a certain appeal for Russell Wilson, but that doesn’t mean the Giants should make a trade with the Seahawks. While Wilson would give the team a massive upgrade over Eli Manning at the game’s most important position, he is not good enough to transform the Giants roster into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Rumors connecting Wilson with a move to the Big Apple have been flying around the NFL lately. Even Tyrann Mathieu believes the Pro Bowl quarterback wants to play in New York. Presumably the Jets are committed to Sam Darnold which leaves the Giants as the only logical destination.
It’s easy to see why General Manager Dave Gettleman would be tempted to make a big offer for Wilson. He insists that he’s confident Manning can enjoy a good season in 2019, but there’s no question that Wilson would give the Giants offense an immediate boost. Acquiring Wilson might even be enough to make New York a legitimate playoff contender this season.
That shouldn’t be Gettleman’s ultimate goal though. Giants fans deserve to see their favorite team try to build a team capable of contending for multiple Super Bowl titles. Making a deal for Wilson would likely trap the Giants into mediocrity for the immediate future.
Assuming the Seahawks are willing to move Wilson, they’re going to ask for a ton in return for their franchise signal caller. Seattle will look to receive a massive amount of draft capital in return for their starting quarterback. Bidding for Wilson would likely start at three first-round picks.
The Giants roster just isn’t close enough to contention to give up that many picks. Gettleman still needs to add significant talent to the team’s offensive line and secondary if he wants them to be a factor in the playoffs. Wilson’s a great quarterback, but he can’t help New York in either of those two areas.
It may be a frustrating reality for Giants fans, but their best hope is to stay patient and hope that Gettleman and his front office can rebuild the team through the draft. Selecting Saquon Barkley at No. 2 of last year’s draft didn’t provide the team good value, but it did give them an offensive star to build around. Look for the Giants to continue to build around the former Penn State star moving forward.
Next. 5 players the Giants may draft in Round 1. dark
That means the Giants should pass on Wilson for the time being. He could make their team pretty good as early as next season, but the draft capital required to trade for him would rob New York the chance to build a great roster.