Replacing Daniel Jones would be a tough sell for this New York Giants regime, unless they landed a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Russell Wilson fits the bill, according to CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, who named the Giants a landing spot for the passer expected to be released from a contract worth $242,588,236 by the Denver Broncos.
Jones, who is recovering from a torn ACL, only signed a four-year, $160-million contract last offseason, but Benjamin believes “Tommy DeVito and Tyrod Taylor faring better in relief suggests Jones could be out of a job regardless of his rehab.”
It helps Jones “can be designated a post-June 1 release after the season without the Giants losing any money against the 2024 cap.”
Russell Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources. For almost two months, the quarterback has been starting knowing the organization was most likely going to move on him from after this season.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 28, 2023
As for Wilson, he’s “expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources,” according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Daniel Jones scrambled 54 times and took a designed run 66 times in 2022, 21 and 23 more than in either 2020 or 2021 before Brian Dabollpic.twitter.com/fUmdjeWD83
— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) August 24, 2023
The Giants could make room for Wilson, whom they pursued before his trade from the Seattle Seahawks to Denver in 2022, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. A move to the Giants could salvage Wilson’s career, since head coach Brian Daboll knows how to use a mobile quarterback.
Russell Wilson Fits Giants’ Offense
Moving pockets, designed runs and bootleg passes off of play action are all staple concepts in Daboll’s system. He and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka used them to help Jones enjoy a revival and a career year in 2022.
Russell Wilson excelled using play action in the Seahawks win over the 49ers.
Wilson completed all 13 of his play action passes for 101 yards and 2 TD, the most play action attempts without an incompletion by any QB in a game since 2016.#SFvsSEA | #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/VYskuUzI3C
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 2, 2020
As FTNFantasy’s Scott Spratt noted, Jones “took a designed run 66 times in 2022, 21 and 23 more than in either 2020 or 2021 before Brian Daboll.”
Kafka and Daboll could do the same for Wilson, who leaned on similar concepts when he made nine Pro Bowls with the Seahawks. Wilson also won a Super Bowl following the 2013 season, led the NFL with a 110.1 passer rating in 2015 and topped the league charts with 34 touchdown passes two years later.
He became one of the deadliest play-action passers in the league during his time in Seattle. One of Wilson’s best games was a flawless performance off of play action against the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, per Next Gen Stats.
Asked Russell Wilson if he wanted to talk. @ParkerJGabriel asked him as well as we talked with Russell. He agreed. He was very candid about his disappointment about #Broncos approaching him about adjusting contract during bye week. He said he still would like to stay in Denver.… pic.twitter.com/Kplo1iAUlg
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 29, 2023
It’s worth highlighting the best parts of Wilson’s CV because it’s become easy to forget how dominant he was before joining the Broncos. He’s endured a disaster in Denver where first Nathaniel Hackett tried to make him an under-center QB, then the Sean Payton-led regime argued about his bumper contract.
Giants Shouldn’t Have Contract Worries About Russell Wilson or Daniel Jones
That dispute led to an ultimatum from the Broncos about the injury guarantee in Wilson’s deal. He told reporters, including Denver7’s Troy Renck, the Broncos warned him in October, “If I didn’t change my contract, my injury guarantee, that I’d be, you know, that I’d be benched for the rest of the year.”
The mechanics of the Broncos contract management needn’t concern the Giants. Instead, general manager Joe Schoen only needs to focus on whether Big Blue can afford Wilson’s next contract.
Fortunately, Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti detailed how “A minimum salary for Wilson next year comes in at $1.21M.”
FWIW: Russell Wilson's guarantee next season contains offset language.
If the #Broncos release him next March, the $39M owed to him on the way out would be reduced by however much he earns from a new team in 2024.
A minimum salary for Wilson next year comes in at $1.21M.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 27, 2023
It’s a reasonable starting point for a Giants franchise projected by Spotrac.com to have $38,543,956 worth of space under the salary cap. That’s before any decision has been made about Jones.
His contract contains an out after 2024, so he could stay as Wilson’s backup for a season and allow the Giants more time to put in a proper succession plan for the latter.
