Expectations for Russell Wilson with the New York Giants are erratic, but the most optimistic take comes from franchise great Carl Banks. The former outside linebacker who won two Super Bowls with Big Blue, posted a bold take about what a stint at MetLife Stadium can do for 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback Wilson’s chances of being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Banks posted on X on Monday, July 21 that “Winning in New York would absolutely solidify Russell Wilson’s Hall of Fame status! Haters only reply. Everyone else have an awesome day!!”
Wilson putting the finishing touches on his CV for Canton is a hopeful expectation for his time in a Giants uniform. It’s not that he doesn’t have the credentials, including 350 touchdown passes and 46,135 yards through the air, per Pro Football Reference.
Yet, the 36-year-old is also on this third team since 2021, a team in full rebuilding mode after a 3-14 finish last season. The Giants are counting on Wilson to rediscover the old magic and elevate an offense generally bereft of elite playmakers.
It’s a lot to ask of a struggling veteran, but the size of the task lends weight to Banks’ view.
Russell Wilson Can Do Something Special for Giants
Turning around a Giants franchise ravaged for too long by problems at football’s most important position would be a worthy late-career swan-song for Wilson. He needs one after a disappointing stint with the Denver Broncos preceded an uneven single campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
Despite his inconsistent form for the Steelers, Wilson led the team to the playoffs and still showed glimpses of his enduring talent. Specifically, a trait that can key the expansive passing game the Giants have craved for too long.
As Dan Schneier of CBS Sports highlighted with this bomb Wilson threw to George Pickens against the Giants last season, “You can’t walk the ball to the receiver better than it was thrown here. Not a single deep pass the Giants have attempted (excluding Tyrod&Eli) in the last six years has looked as aesthetically pleasing and/or hit the WR in stride quite like this. Rinse & repeat but with (Malik) Nabers.”
The reference to Giants’ No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers is telling. He became a record-breaking, big-play machine as a rookie, despite the overwhelming mediocrity the Giants were afflicted with at quarterback last season.
Nabers needs a better passer to help unlock his full potential. There are question marks about Wilson’s touch and overall accuracy, but he’s still one of the most gifted vertical throwers in football.
Wilson leaning on Nabers, the way he has other leading receivers in other cities, can make the Giants watchable throwing the ball again. It could also make the team competitive enough to be postseason worthy.
The latter would surely give Wilson’s candidacy for the Hall the boost it needs. Provided he can shake off disappointments of the past and not find himself quickly usurped as the Giants’ QB1.
Giants Protected Against Russell Wilson’s Recent History
Wilson has suffered a rapid fall from the heights he ascended as a Super Bowl winner and dual-threat game-changer with the Seattle Seahawks. His time in Denver was marred by struggles adapting to the nuances of head coach Sean Payton’s offense, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Similar trouble followed Wilson to Pittsburgh, where offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had his own issues with a quarterback who likes to freelance. Playing off-script made Wilson a star for the Seahawks, but Giants head coach Brian Daboll needs him to mostly stay within the confines of some sort of system.
If Wilson can’t, then calls for 2025 NFL draft first-round pick Jaxson Dart to take the reins ahead of schedule will only grow louder. There’s also the chance journeyman backup Jameis Winston, who also has the arm talent to make the Giants feared throwing deep, steps into Wilson’s place. Especially if the Giants are unable to deal Winston to a QB-needy team before or during the season.
The Giants are ready if the decline Wilson’s experienced since leaving Seattle proves irreversible. If it doesn’t, Wilson will revive the Giants and at the same time restore a reputation as one of the greats of his era.
Perhaps one even deserving of a gold jacket.
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