The New York Giants are 0-3 to start the season and are benching their starting quarterback, Russell Wilson, in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart, one of their two first-round picks this year.
The switch was inevitable as Wilson was inked to a one-year deal in March and was here to keep the seat warm for a young stud the team was planning on bringing in. That stud turned out to be Dart, whom the Giants traded back up into he first round to select.
The plan for Dart was all mapped out. The Giants would start Wilson and let him run things until the time was right. In the background, Dart would sit, watch, and learn. Veteran Jamein Winston was brought in on a two-year deal for insurance purposes.
That plan has disintegrated after three games. The Giants’ offense has sputtered, scoring single digits in two of their first three games. Wilson gave them a glimmer of hope in Week 2, throwing for 450 yards, but it was against the Micah Parsons-less Cowboys, who are perhaps the NFL’s worst defense at the moment.
With the heat intensifying on Brian Daboll, who is now 18-35-1 as the Giants’ head coach, Dart’s timeline has been moved up. What happens to Wilson now is the question. Winston is going nowhere, so could that mean that Wilson might be sent packing?
Greg Auman of FOX Sports believes several teams could be interested in dealing for Wilson, primarily the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost Joe Burrow for three months with a toe injury. Other teams mentioned are the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers.
New York should focus on seeing what Dart can do, and if he gets injured, it has Jameis Winston as a veteran backup who could still give them a chance to win, reasonably close to what Wilson would at least.
He’s a remarkably cheap quarterback to acquire — the Giants gave him a $10.5 million deal that included an $8 million bonus, so his base salary is only $2 million, easy for just about any team in the league to add and stay under the salary cap.
It’s hard to envision the 36-year-old Wilson on the sidelines watching the rest of the season. As stated, that’s what Winston will be doing. If a trade is there to be had, the Giants will likely explore it.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What is the future of Russell Wilson following Giants’ benching?
