New York Giants fans think they have a great problem at quarterback currently. After several years of Daniel Jones and a revolving door of amateurish backups, the team now has two veterans and a very promising rookie on its depth chart entering the 2025 season.
Russell Wilson is slated to be the Week 1 starter with Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart waiting in the wings for their opportunity. After his latest preseason performance, Dart could see the field sooner than many anticipated.
But the Giants won't be rushing Dart into a bad situation without being confident it's best for his development. That's why Wilson and Winston are on the roster. The former was brought in for his leadership qualities and championship experience, and those already seem to be taking hold in the locker room.
"There's a standard that we have around here now," offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor told USA Today's Art Stapleton on Monday. He credits Wilson with making guys take accountability for their mistakes and committing to getting better.
Jermaine Eluemunor has played with Tom Brady and Lamar Jackson. He raved about Jaxson Dart when asked. So I asked him about Russell Wilson.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 18, 2025
Eluemunor said Russ demands a high standard from everyone, and he does by paying attention to details.
On the 80-yard pass Saturday night,…
Giants fans should prepare themselves for the inevitable with Russell Wilson
Despite the desirable qualities in leadership Wilson brings to the locker room, what's going to matter most for the organization is how well he plays when he's out on the gridiron. The Giants need wins and a lot more than their 2024 total if Wilson's going to fend off any changes by head coach Brian Daboll before Thanksgiving.
Fans of the Steelers and Broncos know this pattern all too well. Wilson brings much needed leadership and motivation to the locker room but can't deliver like his Seattle Seahawk days on the field. And then, as the losses pile up and the offense sputters, the motivation tactics that seemed inspiring in August just seem hokey by October or November.
Wilson hasn't thrown for over 4,000 yards since 2020, which is perhaps not coincidentally the last time he played a full season. Wilson's steady decline should be an indicator to Giants fans that he can help the rest of the team improve mentally, but it's going to take someone else to actually lead them back to playoff contention.
Whether that ends up being Dart at some point or someone else is yet to be seen but Giants fans shouldn't put too much stock in Wilson's abilities until he's proven otherwise.