Once upon a time, the New York Giants drafted a talented LSU wide receiver who made one-handed catches look ordinary. Throughout his rookie contract, he was asked to rescue stray passes and turn would-be interceptions into miraculous receptions.
While that story may bring back memories of Odell Beckham Jr., it’s also applicable to current Giants wideout Malik Nabers. The 2024 NFL Draft featured a historically deep class of quarterbacks, but selecting one of them would have meant admitting the team made a mistake by signing quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract in 2023. Instead, New York selected Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick that year, fans were quick to notice his disappointment.
Most first-round wide receiver prospects are ecstatic when they get drafted, but most of them also don’t have to catch passes from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito. Nabers was peppered with questions about the team’s quarterback situation, but he brushed off concerns and put together a stellar rookie campaign anyway.
Despite his success, the second-year wide receiver made it clear that he’s not going to accept subpar performances from his quarterbacks in 2025. During an appearance on the “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony” podcast, Nabers sent a strongly worded message to New York’s quarterback room.
Malik Nabers sends an early warning to Russell Wilson
“I ain’t gonna speak on all receivers, but I’m gonna speak on — F--- it, I’m speaking on all receivers,” Nabers said.
“We all feel the same way. We don’t like not getting the ball. We done ran about 100 routes in the week, we done watched the film on the [defensive back], we done learned the plays that we want to call. These coaches is telling us, ‘We gonna call this on this down. We gonna call this on this down, we’re gonna call this when we get to this formation, you’re gonna score off this play.’”
Nabers explained that wide receivers run about 100 routes during the week of practice and spend time watching film on the opposing secondary. Then, coaches install certain plays for certain situations and against certain coverages on which the wide receiver is supposed to be targeted. All of which results in certain promises being made: When coaches tell wide receivers how many catches they’re going to get in a given week, they begin to calculate how many yards they’ll get and how many more yards they’ll need to reach milestones, earn Pro Bowls and, in Nabers' words, “get paid.”
Games rarely work out as planned, but Nabers takes issue with the game plan falling apart when he’s routinely doing what he’s supposed to do: get open.
“You told me I was going to get the ball,” Nabers said. “I’m getting open and I’m not getting that pill. We’ve got a problem. We’ve got a problem. … I ain’t playing about that ball.”
The Giants revamped their quarterback room this offseason. They signed veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency, then selected Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Wilson will open the season as New York’s starting quarterback. Unfortunately, that may not be good news for Nabers: Wilson may be an upgrade over last year’s passers, but he’s far removed from playing at a Pro Bowl level. There are also still concerns about New York’s offensive line, which ranked No. 26 in pass block win rate last season, per ESPN Analytics.
Wilson found some early success with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, but New York doesn’t have the same stability or track record. Wilson also collapsed down the stretch, leading the Steelers to four straight losses to close out the regular season. In those games, he averaged just 174.5 passing yards and one touchdown per game. Those numbers likely won’t be sufficient for Nabers, who finished his first NFL season with 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns.