The New York Giants will likely seek a Russell Wilson trade after benching him in favor of Jaxson Dart. His value (especially when it comes to his contract) is just too high. However, according to the most recent rumors, Wilson also has value for the G Men right now, so if they do trade him, it probably won't be until much closer to the November 4 NFL trade deadline.
There are several NFL teams, and may be several more before Week 10, that need a quarterback. Right now, it seems like Wilson and the Atlanta Falcons' Kirk Cousins will be the true main trade candidates. While Cousins is making $40 million a year, Wilson's contract will be his biggest selling point.
“Wilson is making $10.5 million from the Giants this year, but $8 million of that came in a signing bonus,” Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafalo explain. “Thus, a team trading for Wilson would assume just a portion of his $2 million base. That's cheap enough to happen midway through the season, when wallets are tight against the salary cap.”
But while Wilson's days in New Jersey are likely coming to an end, the veteran QB is still valued by his current team.
“Since signing with New York, the veteran has earned respect across the locker room for his energy and maturity as a leader,” Dianna Russini writes for The Athletic. “While many around the league assumed the Giants would cut him, the team chose to keep him on as the backup because he’s fit in so well in the QB room.”
So, it looks like the Giants' plan may be to maximize the QB's value as much as they can. They will keep him around for another month or so and make him a de facto assistant coach to help Jaxson Dart. Then, when the trade deadline comes, they will say goodbye and get a late-round draft pick back for their troubles.
If things work out this way, signing Russell Wilson this offseason may have been a smarter move than most fans and experts thought.
