Russell Wilson will not be re-signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s moved on to the New York Giants, hoping to rebuild his reputation in the NFL. This likely leaves the Steelers waiting on Aaron Rodgers. The Giants are rebuilding after looking like one of the worst teams in the league last year. It will be interesting to see what kind of season Wilson can put together on that team. Former NFL wide receiver James Jones believes the veteran quarterback can be successful with the Giants.
“In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ system, as a quarterback, you are not going to get coached like you are going to get coached by [Giants head coach] Brian Daboll,” Jones said Wednesday on FS1’s The Facility. “Brian Daboll had Daniel Jones.
“What do you think Daniel Jones would’ve looked like in that Pittsburgh offense? He probably wouldn’t have looked that good. Russ looked good in that offense. With Brian Daboll, I think Russ can take a step and play some good football.”
It sounds like Jones thinks the Giants’ offense is more quarterback-friendly than the Steelers’. That might not necessarily be true. The Steelers have been a more defense-focused team lately, but last year, they made strides to improve their offense.
In his first year as their offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith did a fine job. He wasn’t perfect, but his system has been helpful for quarterbacks in the past. The Steelers also mostly played to Wilson’s strengths. They gave him ample opportunities to take deep shots to George Pickens, whose skill set complemented Wilson.
The Steelers have also tried to rebuild their offensive line, although injuries have hurt them on that front. Still, Wilson had a chance to succeed with the Steelers. He was very good in his first handful of starts with them. Things flamed out partly because Wilson is limited at this point in his career.
Daboll has proven to be an excellent offensive mind, particularly during his time with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. He’s been with the Giants since 2022, and in that time, things have been mixed.
During his first year, he helped the Giants make the playoffs, going 9-7-1. They even won a playoff game, something the Steelers haven’t been able to do since 2016. However, since then, things have been much uglier. The Giants missed the playoffs in 2023, and in 2024, they won only three games.
It’s fair to blame some of that failure on the Giants’ struggles under center. However, it’s debatable if Wilson will be the answer to their problems. He might not have it in him to take a step forward anymore. He’s 36 years old, and it was clear last season that much of his athleticism is gone.
Wilson still throws a decent deep ball, but that might make an offense too one-dimensional to really succeed. The Giants have a lot of issues. They have pieces along the offensive line and at wide receiver, but there are a lot of reasons they were so bad last year. The Steelers would probably love if Jones were right, though. That could net them an even better draft pick in compensation.
