The New York Giants were one of the finalists in NFL free agency for quarterback Russell Wilson. While they eventually landed Drew Lock, the reason for the team missing out on the nine-time Pro Bowl selection is now quite clear following a recent report.

Just a year after making quarterback Daniel Jones one of the highest-paid NFL players, the Giants are already positioning themselves to move on from the former first-round pick. As Jones works his way back from an ACL tear, New York has scoured the market for upgrades and competition for him in 2024.

Following his release from the Denver Broncos, Wilson first met with the Giants followed by a visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While his visit with New York’s team officials went well, the Super Bowl champion went to Pittsburgh and ultimately signed a one-year contract to become the Steelers starting quarterback.

Russell Wilson stats 2023: 98.0 QB rating, 66.4% completion rate, 26-8 TD-INT, 3,070 passing yards, 6.9 yards per attempt, 7-8 record
Wilson’s reasoning for choosing the Steelers over New York is very simple. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, Giants’ officials “didn’t make any promises about playing time” and wouldn’t offer Wilson the starting job for the upcoming season.

The report is particularly interesting because Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider revealed that the team lost Lock to New York in NFL free agency because the Giants told him he could compete for the starting job.

Even with Lock signed and Jones slowly making progress in his recovery, New York still isn’t out of the mix to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, given the Minnesota Vikings recently acquired another first-round pick, it could now be even more difficult and costly for the Giants to move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy.