The writing was on the wall before Russell Wilson even took a snap for the New York Giants, and as soon as the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft took place: Wilson was never going to be the long-term solution at quarterback for the Giants.

If the Giants weren’t 0-3 right now, it’s likely Wilson would have remained the starter for at least a few more weeks. But the plan was clear: anything short of leading the Giants to the playoffs was going to get Wilson benched in favor of the 25th overall pick in the draft, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.

That action took place on Tuesday morning, less than 48 hours after a Sunday Night Football performance to forget for Wilson and the now 0-3 Giants.

FULL ARTICLE: Giants To Start Jaxson Dart, Bench Russell Wilson in Week 4

Besides drafting Dart in the first round, the Giants also added veteran quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston, just 31 years old compared to Wilson’s 36 years of age, has re-established himself as a strong option, especially for a backup, in the NFL after tenures in New Orleans and Cleveland.

With Dart starting and Winston healthy and available, Wilson no longer has any role with the Giants besides to be a potential distraction. New York can’t turn back to Wilson after benching him before Week 4, and even if Dart is completely ineffective or even injured, Winston can lead the team just as well if not more likely better than Wilson has through three weeks.

Yet somehow, Wilson remains just a shred of trade value, an idea that with the right team, this time, Wilson will be the right option at quarterback. Despite some poor decision-making on Sunday Night Football, Wilson led the league in passing through two weeks this season. This isn’t Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick begging for another shot late in their careers, Wilson is still a player that could be valuable in the right situation.

So while the return wouldn’t be huge (even a sixth-round pick might be generous) the Giants should absolutely kick the tires and see if any team is interested in giving up anything for Wilson’s services.

The natural landing spots right now are few, but I came up with a few ideas, either myself or by scanning social media. Read on for my Landing Spots for the Giants to Trade Russell Wilson, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any spots, or have more to add to the list, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter/X, on Facebook, or by commenting directly on this post!

Landing Spots for Russell Wilson

New Orleans Saints

Personally, I think the New Orleans Saints should use the 2025-26 season to see what they have in quarterback Spencer Rattler, and even Tyler Shough if necessary. Inserting a veteran like Wilson would only delay the verdict on those two young quarterbacks. But remember, Derek Carr threw the Saints a curveball by retiring early, and with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton also starting games for the Saints in recent seasons, New Orleans is no stranger to a veteran grabbing the reigns.

But with an 0-3 record, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for New Orleans to blow up their current quarterback situation. Still, Denver Broncos insider Benjamin Albright lists the Saints as the most reasonable suitor for Wilson’s services:

Miami Dolphins

This is less about replacing Tua Tagovailoa straight up, and more about providing reliable insurance as well as a back-up plan if things continue to head South. Tagovailoa has not played well this season, as a history of injury concerns, and the Miami Dolphins are 0-3. While it’s difficult to see Miami pulling the plug on Tagovailoa, the current backups of Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers offer limited upside, especially if the team were to turn things around and need a veteran quarterback to win a competitive game this season, and Tua happened to not be available.

SEE ALSO: Week 4 Picks

New York Jets

From one 0-3 New York team to another? Why would the New York Jets want Russell Wilson?

Tyrod Taylor has already been forced to start for the Jets this year. While the 36-year-old has actually played well (with a 95.4 passer rating), Taylor’s magic can only last so long. There are no other quarterbacks on the active roster besides Justin Fields, who has already been dealing with injuries since the preseason. As fun as a “Mike White”-type situation is, it doesn’t do the organization much good.

To boot, Wilson could emulate similar playing styles to Fields and Taylor. Wilson ended up starting over Fields in Pittsburgh last season, and Taylor is a career backup, you do the math. The 0-3 Jets likely won’t contend this season, but Russell Wilson could be a steady hand to give them at least a chance, as well as facilitate a rare New York-to-New York trade.

Cincinnati Bengals

This potential landing spot was being talked about even before Dart was named the starter in New York. With Joe Burrow set to miss about three months of football, the Cincinnati Bengals have turned to Jake Browning as their starting quarterback, and the early results weren’t pretty, as the Bengals suffered a blowout loss to Carson Wentz and the Vikings in Week 3. There are few teams around the league where this current version of Russell Wilson would warrant an immediate upgrade, but Cincinnati would absolutely benefit from a “good enough” replacement at quarterback to see if they could save their season.

While a trade elsewhere seems unlikely at best, a trade with Cincinnati should at least be on the Giants radar. Whether the Bengals want to engage in conversation is another story, but again, it could be worth exploring to lower the chance of 2025 eing a lost season in Cincinnati.

Wait for Another Injury

Unfortunately, injuries derail seasons all the time in the NFL, as is the nature of the high-contact, high-intensity sport. Joe Burrow likely won’t be the last quarterback from a potential contender to go down, so if the Giants hold on to Wilson a few weeks and this becomes a reality, more trade partners could emerge.

SEE ALSO: Post-Week 3 Power Rankings

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