Russell Wilson has reached an agreement to join the New York Giants, the team announced Wednesday.
The 36-year-old quarterback is reportedly guaranteed $10.5 million in the one-year deal. He can make as much as $21 million if he reaches certain incentives.
Wilson’s incentives are based on how much and how well he plays in 2025, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Wilson will earn $500,000 for playing 65 percent of the team’s snaps, $1 million for playing 75 percent of the team’s snaps and $1.5 million if he plays 85 percent of the team’s snaps.
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He can also earn up to $2.5 million depending on his passing yards and passer rating.
Wilson played with the Steelers on a one-year, $1.21 million contract in 2024 while still owed $37.79 million from the Denver Broncos. He said after the season that he wants to play “as long as possible,” reiterating a statement he made in November that he wants to play 5-7 more years.
Wilson joined the Steelers in the offseason after being released by the Broncos, but started on the bench in favor of Justin Fields after a calf injury sidelined him in the preseason. He took over at quarterback in Week 7 and remained the Steelers’ starter through the remaining 11 games of the regular season and a 28-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh won its first four games with Wilson at quarterback before a 2-5 finish to the regular season that included a four-game season-ending losing streak. Wilson completed 63.7% of his passes for 225.6 yards per game with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in his 11 regular-season starts. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers during the playoff loss to the Ravens.
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Wilson’s play improved from the worst of his disastrous stint with the Broncos that resulted in Denver releasing him in spite of a significant hit to the salary cap. He was good enough to keep Pittsburgh competitive as a playoff team, but there was little to indicate he could return to his Pro Bowl form from his Seattle Seahawks tenure and lift the Steelers into Super Bowl contention.
The Steelers are reportedly in hot pursuit of Aaron Rodgers, and Wilson was an unlikely candidate for a return to Pittsburgh. Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported that a Wilson return for the 2025 season “would be completely off the table if it were simply the decision of some members of the offensive coaching staff.”
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Wilson joins a Giants quarterbacks room that recently added Jameis Winston and retained Tommy DeVito. Every one of those QBs is on a one-year deal with New York.
The Giants have also been widely speculated to be interested in selecting a quarterback with the No. 3 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, with Yahoo Sports projecting them to select Colorado passer Shedeur Sanders. A QB room full of veterans could conceivably change the math there, but at the same time, those one-year deals mean the team isn’t committing to anything long-term.
