New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson is adamant that nothing has changed after general manager Joe Schoen traded back into the first round to draft Ole Miss product Jaxson Dart, who is perceived to be the franchise passer of the future.
“No, it doesn’t change anything at all,” Wilson said when asked about having a first-round pick in the quarterback room on Thursday at team OTAs. “I think the biggest thing for me is just being my best every day, leading. I always think about just leading everybody, just leading every room, every moment, every time I get to step between the white lines and the opportunity of that.”
The 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion is the Giants’ undisputed No. 1 quarterback entering 2025, with veteran Jameis Winston serving as his backup. They make up just half of Big Blue’s QB room alongside Dart and Tommy DeVito.
Wilson is on a one-year contract and is believed to be a bridge quarterback this year — placeholder for Dart once he gets the nod to take the offense over.
“We have a really good quarterback room,” Wilson said. “Guys are so focused and working diligently every day. [Dart] is going to be an extremely, extremely good talent and everything else throughout his career… “Jaxson’s been great, man. He’s a great worker, great teammate. We’re having fun, all of us.”
The move has forced Wilson to also adopt a more mentor-like role for the 22-year-old, who threw for 4,279 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions last year with Ole Miss.
Throughout these offseason workouts, Wilson has now been concise in talking through everything he does to help Dart begin acclimating to life in the NFL.
“I always share, and I always think about communication,” Wilson said. “I’m a big believer in communicating out loud, just here’s what I’m thinking, here’s what I’m saying. You don’t hold any information.
“I think that for us, it’s always about us being the best that we can all be. And I think for me, when you have tremendous confidence in yourself, you have no problem sharing it with others. I think that’s just how I’ve always believed… I’ve always viewed it as you’re always trying to be the best version of you, and then you’re always giving back to everybody else. I think that it’s not just about one teammate, it’s about all the teammates. It’s about everybody in the building.”
