On fourth-and-goal, Russell Wilson dropped back and threw the ball away off the crossbar to a chorus of boos in the Giants’ 22–9 loss on Sunday night to the Chiefs.
As it turns out, that pass might have been the last consequential throw of his NFL career.
On Tuesday, the Giants announced that rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart will take over as New York’s starting quarterback this Sunday against the undefeated Chargers at MetLife Stadium.
For Dart, it represents the opportunity of a lifetime. For Wilson, it’s likely the end of the line.
Reasons for Wilson's decline
Wilson is in his 14th NFL season and has been benched for the second time in three years. After signing a one-year contract with $10.5 million guaranteed this offseason to join his third team in as many seasons, Wilson was anointed the Giants’ starter. He did little with the job, going winless in three starts while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Speaking with a pair of defensive coordinators who have coached against Wilson, his benching has been a long time coming, dating back to his failed days with the Broncos and Steelers.
“Usually, a high percentage of quarterbacks who are on their fourth team, if they were any good, they wouldn’t have left their first [team],” said a longtime defensive coordinator. “When quarterbacks get older, they start to lose their legs, and they especially don’t like getting hit. When you hit that point, you usually make bad decisions.”
Another defensive coordinator echoed the same sentiment about Wilson no longer being willing to take the punishment required to succeed.
“Usually, a high percentage of quarterbacks who are on their fourth team, if they were any good, they wouldn’t have left their first [team].” a longtime DC on Russell Wilson
“I just think he was great out of the pocket in the past, and he can’t move like he used to. [Wilson] doesn’t want to get hit anymore.”
If Wilson doesn’t play another down in the NFL, the next question is whether he ends up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Asking a few members of the voting committee, two said they wouldn’t cast votes in favor of the former Super Bowl champion, while another believed there would be lengthy discussions and it could take years for Wilson to earn induction.
“It’s close,” said one Hall of Fame voter. “But he’s in that clump with [Eli] Manning, [Philip] Rivers, etc.”
Can Dart save the Giants and Daboll?
In the case of Dart, it’s the 22-year-old’s chance to become the franchise quarterback for a team steeped in tradition, with four Super Bowl trophies and eight league championships. However, New York hasn’t earned a playoff victory since winning Super Bowl XLVI in the 2011 season.
In college, Dart began his odyssey at USC in 2021 before transferring to Ole Miss and starting three seasons. In 39 appearances, he threw for 10,617 yards, 72 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Dart led the SEC last season with a 69.3% completion rate and 4,279 passing yards.
Stepping into an 0–3 situation, Dart will be under immediate pressure. Giants fans are starved for anything resembling hope, a feeling they haven’t had since the heyday of Eli Manning over a decade ago. Since Manning retired after the 2019 campaign, New York is 28-55-1 and hasn’t won the NFC East since that 2011 season.
The jobs of coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen could also be at risk. New York likely doesn’t have to make a charge toward the playoffs for their employment to continue. Still, the Giants and Dart need to show meaningful progress to the point where owners John Mara and Steve Tish are satisfied with giving Daboll and Schoen another offseason.
In 2022, Daboll was named NFL Coach of the Year after guiding the Giants to a 10–7 record and a playoff victory over the Vikings. Since then, he is 9–28, with the Giants moving on from Saquon Barkley, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, and Daniel Jones, who is 3–0 in his first season with the Colts.
Jones has become one of the most fascinating stories of the early 2025 season.
He was not only benched by Daboll and the Giants after 10 starts last year, but was humiliated by being made a scout-team safety. New York ultimately released him, and after a few months on the Vikings’ practice squad, Jones signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Colts.
Jones won a training camp battle with 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson, and has shined. He’s thrown for 816 yards and three touchdowns, with zero turnovers. To this point, Jones ranks third in passing yards, yards per attempt (9.3) and first in QBR (85.8).
Ultimately, the only thing that matters for New York is Dart becoming the successor to Manning and an answer under center for the next dozen years.
As for Wilson, it’s likely the end of a career once destined for the Hall of Fame, and now with an uncertain conclusion.
But one thing is sure: When Wilson’s pass hit the crossbar on Sunday night, two careers changed instantly.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Brian Daboll Had to Start Jaxson Dart and Bench Russell Wilson.