3 Teams That Could Land Russell Wilson After Giants Decided to Bench Him for Jaxson Dart

Russell Wilson finds himself between a rock and a hard place after Brian Daboll demoted him to Jaxson Dart’s backup for the foreseeable future. Wilson is approaching 37 and faced a daunting scenario: whether to continue being QB2 in New York or accept a trade elsewhere.

Dart’s preseason performances spoiled the Giants’ faithful. Seeing their team go unbeaten created pressure on Daboll to make the final call about his starting quarterback.

Daboll stuck to his gut and went with the experienced Wilson instead of Dart. The optimism simmered down a notch, but the G-Men remained excited to see someone other than Daniel Jones at the helm after years of misery.

Unfortunately, the preseason form did not carry over into week one of the 2025 campaign. The Giants scored just 6 points on offense, with Wilson completing 45% of his passes for 168 yards.

The call to start Dart caught pace again. Everyone wanted to see the Ole Miss quarterback whom the Giants traded up in the first round to draft instead of the previously projected Shedeur Sanders. Daboll stuck with Wilson for the Week Two clash in Dallas.

The Cowboys secured an overtime win, but Wilson balled out. He threw for 450 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

Wilson now had the city behind him when they hosted last year’s AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, at MetLife Stadium. Former Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo, who now coaches the Chiefs’ defense, pressured Wilson to throw 2 picks and just 160 yards to secure a 22-9 win.

Daboll once more faced the tough choice of changing his quarterback. He stayed mum when asked about Dart, considering he briefly appeared in the final stages against the Chiefs.

The front office eventually decided to bench Wilson for Dart ahead of the week four tie against the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, this move could have taken place right after the week one defeat, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

The Giants actually considered turning to Jaxson Dart after their Week 1 loss to the Commanders, but they instead stuck with Russell Wilson, who had a vintage performance against the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson kept his job, but it was just one epic showing before he fizzled against the Chiefs.

Dianna Russini wrote

Russell Wilson should consider a trade away from the New York Giants

Wilson took his benching like a true professional. He wants to fight for his spot on the Giants, as there are still 14 games left in the season.

I know that I’m going to respond in the right way every day. I’m not done.

Russell Wilson said via Ian Rapoport and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo

Despite Wilson’s wishes, there are teams around the league who could use a veteran under center, according to Rapoport and Garafolo.

Wilson is expected to emerge as a trade candidate prior to the deadline on Nov. 4, the target of a QB-needy team in need of a veteran.

Three teams that could trade for Russell Wilson

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals seem like the obvious team to trade for Wilson. Joe Burrow’s season ended after undergoing toe surgery, which allowed backup Jake Browning to play the last two games.

Browning steered the Bengals to a win against the Jaguars despite throwing 3 interceptions, but the Vikings proved a tough nut to crack. He threw two more picks in a 10-48 defeat.

Wilson may not have any direct relation to the Bengals, but he will definitely start over Browning if the trade goes through.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints found themselves in muddy waters after Derek Carr suddenly retired in the offseason. Spencer Rattler beat out Jake Haener and rookie Tyler Shough for the starting quarterback job and has looked decent in the pocket.

However, the Saints are 0-3 after losing to the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks. Their next opponents are the undefeated Buffalo Bills.

Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young is in his third year with the Panthers after getting drafted first overall in 2023. Since then, the Heisman Trophy winner has posted a record of 7-24.

Young started the season with two defeats to the Jaguars and the Cardinals before grabbing a shock 0-30 blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons. After three games, Young’s stats look like 603 yards (60.5% completion), 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

Compared to Young, Wilson has thrown for 778 yards, with 59.1% pass completion, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

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