5 ‘things I think’ after the New York Giants signing of Russell Wilson

The Wilson news has wide-ranging impact on what the Giants will look like in 2025

The New York Giants ended their search for a veteran quarterback on Wednesday night with the signing of Russell Wilson to a one-year contract. Here are some ‘things I think’ after sleeping on the news for a night.

Closing the door on Shedeur?

Prior to the Wilson signing, there was increasing speculation in the draft community linking the Giants to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

That door may not be 100% closed, but I think Sanders to the Giants at No. 3 is highly unlikely.

GM Joe Schoen talked incessantly at the NFL Scouting Combine about the need for the Giants to be better in 2025. While he still needs to put a young, potential quarterback of the future on the roster I don’t think Schoen will use the No. 3 overall pick on a player who would be QB3 and inactive when Week 1 rolls around.

I am honestly not certain, despite all the videos from the East-West Shrine Bowl of Brian Daboll and Shedeur Sanders together, that the Giants have ever been fully on board with the idea of drafting Sanders.

The Colorado quarterback has gotten the J.J. McCarthy treatment from the Giants during this cycle. The Giants have paid tons of attention to Sanders, just like McCarthy a year ago. Ultimately, though, the Giants did not think McCarthy was right for them. The signing of Wilson and Jameis Winston indicates to me they may feel the same way about Sanders.

Schoen will, I am fairly certain, use that pick to bulk up the roster with an every-down difference maker and add a quarterback to the roster later in the draft.

Trading down at No. 3

Either Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter would be a massive addition to the Giants. It wouldn’t be easy to trade down a handful of spots and likely miss out on those two players. The Giants, though, are more than a player away and Day 2 is considered the sweet spot of the upcoming draft. Adding a couple more picks in the top 100 would be awfully tempting, and awfully beneficial if they are used correctly.

I can see any of the teams selecting from 5-10 — in order the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears — sniffing around to see if Schoen would move down.

Jacksonville has picks at 36, 70, 88 and 107. Moving down to No. 5, adding two of those picks from the Jaguars and selecting defensive tackle Mason Graham would not be a horrible play.

The Saints (No. 9) have picks at 40, 71, 93 and 112. The Bears have picks at 39, 41 and 72.

There are some enticing possibilities if the Giants want to maneuver for more picks.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Quarterback of the future

It is interesting that Schoen was in Louisville to watch Tyler Shough at his Pro Day on Tuesday. And that Chris Pflum’s deep dive into Shough posted Wednesday morning at Big Blue View. It’s almost like we planned it that way.

There will be some focus in the upcoming weeks on the idea of the Giants drafting Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, perhaps even trading back into Round 1 for him. I could see Dart being the pick if he is still on the board at No. 34, but, again, with the focus on 2025 I think Schoen is going to be loathe to give up valuable assets for a quarterback who would not be expected to help them in 2025.

I think Shough is a strong possibility. His age (26 next season) and long injury history that led to a seven-year college career will justifiably knock him down draft boards. Still, based purely on the film I have watched Shough would be QB2 for me in this draft based on talent alone.

Yet, Dart and Shough aren’t really the players I want to talk about. That’s Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Milroe has incredible physical talent, and many think he has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the class. Because of how far he has to go to become a consistent paser, though, many believe he also has the lowest floor of any of the top quarterback prospects in this class. He is the biggest risk-reward gamble of any quarterback in this draft.

To this point, I have been steadfast in the belief that the Giants could not draft Milroe. I keep coming back to the idea that Schoen and Daboll must put a better product on the field in 2025. Sanders, Dart and Shough, maybe even Will Howard, are closer to being able to help them do that than Milroe. He is a multi-year project, and until now I have not thought the Giants were in a situation where they could make that investment.

With Wilson and Winston in the fold, whatever young quarterback the Giants draft won’t play unless there is an emergency due to injury or the season spirals out of control. With a year to redshirt a young quarterback, perhaps that puts Milroe in play for New York.

Proof of concept?

The Giants have been steadfast in their belief that better quarterback play than they have gotten over the past two seasons from Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, Drew Lock, Tim Boyle and Tommy DeVito would lead to better results on the field.

“The quarterback is the big issue,” co-owner John Mara said in January. “I think once you solve the quarterback issue, I think a lot of these other things will improve as well.”

When the Giants defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-33 in Week 17 with Drew Lock throwing four 309 yards and four touchdowns, Daboll said “That’s how the offense needs to perform. That’s how the quarterback needs to perform … I think if you get good quarterback play, you have an opportunity in every game.”

At the Combine, Schoen said “I think the quarterback elevates the rest of the roster.”

It isn’t hard to point to four or five Giants’ losses in 2024 that hinged on late-game quarterback play. Aside from adding Wilson and Winston, the Giants have basically brought back the offense that finished 31st in the league in 2024.

So, we may well get to find out if the organization is right that quarterback has been the primary issue. Schoen’s and Daboll’s jobs may depend on the answer.

The gang was all in

When the Wilson news broke Tuesday evening, I put out an SOS to se if any of Big Blue View’s big guns could join me on an emergency livestream to discuss the signing. As it turned out, Chris Pflum, Nick Falato and Tony DelGenio all responded affirmatively.

The result? One of the most fun shows I have ever done, highlighted by us breaking the Wilson news to Tony, who had foolishly stopped checking his phone while out to dinner with his wife.

If you haven’t watched the show, I think you should.