Former Seahawks QB Russell Wilson benched by Giants

New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson is tackled by Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu during an NFL football game, Sept. 7, 2025, in Landover, Md. (Stephanie Scarbrough / The Associated Press)

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By Tim Booth Seattle Times staff reporter

Russell Wilson’s time as the starting quarterback in the Big Apple lasted all of three games.

Wilson was reportedly benched as the starter for the New York Giants on Tuesday, according to several media outlets, as his career since being traded away by the Seahawks continued its downward spiral. The Giants announced that rookie Jaxson Dart would be taking over and for the second time in three seasons Wilson was benched by his head coach.

During the 2023 season while still in Denver, Wilson was benched late in the year by coach Sean Payton. But that came at the end of a losing season for the Broncos where there was bound to be significant roster change.

This benching with the Giants came after just three games and starts to raise the suggestion of what kind of options Wilson may have in the future if he’s already lost favor in New York.

New York coach Brian Daboll stuck with Wilson after a Week 1 loss to Washington where his QB was 17 of 37 for 168 yards and ran eight times for 44 yards. The Giants managed just six offensive points and only crossed midfield three times in their nine offensive possessions.

That commitment almost paid off in Week 2 when Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime loss to Dallas. The 450 yards passing were the second-most in his career behind the 452 yards he passed for in a 2017 win with the Seahawks over Houston.

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But the promise of what Wilson flashed in Week 2 disappeared quickly on Sunday night in an ugly 22-9 loss to Kansas City. Wilson was 18 of 32 for a season-low 160 yards and threw a pair of interceptions in the Giants home opener. Fans cheered when Dart took the field for a handful of specialty plays and booed when Wilson returned under center.

Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Giants following his one-year stint in Pittsburgh where he started 12 games and the Steelers reached the playoffs despite losing the final four games of the regular season. Pittsburgh was thumped by Baltimore in the opening round of the AFC playoffs.

Because of his experience and his resume, Wilson was crowned as the Giants starter even with the franchise spending a late first-round pick on Dart. And throughout training camp and the preseason, reports out of New York indicated that Dart was the more impressive of the two quarterbacks.

But the job was always going to be Wilson’s to lose and it appears he has. The fact it happened after Week 3 speaks both to the desperation the Giants and Daboll are feeling and where Wilson’s stature sits at this point of his career.

Tim Booth: Tim Booth is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, where he covers the Kraken and the ongoing story surrounding possible NBA expansion and helps with coverage of the Seahawks and Mariners.