Giants need to embrace rebuild without Russell Wilson

The Seattle Seahawks locked up their Super Bowl winning quarterback, Russell Wilson, with a massive contract. So, this finally signifies that the New York Giants need to accept their future.

Russell Wilson played hardball with the Seahawks when he set a contract deadline date in which he would no longer stick around in Seattle if a deal wasn’t in place by yesterday.

Well, the team ponied up a ton of money to keep Wilson in town as the clock crept towards the final minutes of that self-imposed deadline.

Wilson and the Seahawks agreed to terms on a gargantuan, four-year, $140 million extension. This deal now makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL.

While Seattle’s management team reclines in their chairs and breathes a massive sigh of relief, reality has set in about 2,850 miles away in the Big Apple.

Reports indicated that Wilson may have wanted New York. On paper, this appeared to be a move the Giants would be interested in. He would make an easy transition as the team’s next signal-caller. Not a bad idea, right? They have the assets to make such a deal for the five-time Pro Bowler.

Instead, Wilson ended up in Seattle on a long-term deal. Now, the Giants have to face the reality of a long plan instead of a quick fix.

For the past few seasons, it has been one step forward and two steps back for Big Blue. The team has made skeptical decision after skeptical decision, which was highlighted this offseason when they shifted the NFL landscape with the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

It seemed as though the Wilson idea could have been the team’s one last attempt to try and expedite the rebuild phase if they decided to pursue that avenue. But rebuilding, or retooling (whatever you want to call it), is the exit the Giants need to get off on and they are in prime position to do so.

With two picks in the first round, expiring contracts and cap space to be had, the Giants can fill a lot of holes and get their hands on some of the draft’s best prospects. Of course, Wilson would have filled the team’s biggest need: a new quarterback. Although, they can select one in the first round or even kick the tires on cutting a deal for Josh Rosen if the Arizona Cardinals draft Kyler Murray next week.

However, that has to be what the team does. No longer can they tip toe around the idea of being a “contender.”

Wilson won’t be wearing Giants’ blue next year, and that’s fine if the team accepts its fate and dedicates themselves on establishing the team for the future.