Russell Wilson’s last hurrah? New York Giants quarterback focuses on what he can control

LANDOVER, Md. — This was not the way New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson wanted to begin his 14th NFL campaign — a 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders and young star quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Constantly throwing under pressure and bereft of a running game, Wilson completed 17 of 37 passes and was sacked twice. He led his team to the red zone twice but failed to score. Daniels, meanwhile, took up where he left off last year in a sensational rookie season when he took the NFL by storm and served notice that a new generation of young Black quarterbacks was on the horizon.

Wilson was once a young lion himself. Indeed, when he was in Daniels’ position — beginning his second season in the league — Wilson, then 25, led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and the franchise’s first championship. He led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl again in 2015 but lost to New England.

Now at age 36, Wilson is in the closing stages of an extraordinary career, one that a few short years ago seemed to guarantee a first-ballot entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After a dismal tenure in Denver and a stumble last season in Pittsburgh, Wilson needs a grand last hurrah with the Giants to put an undisputed sheen on his resume. His greatest challenge this season will be keeping hot shot rookie Jaxson Dart on the bench in the midst of a hue and cry from Giants fans to put him in the starting lineup.

After Sunday’s game, Giants head coach Brian Daboll was peppered with questions about Wilson’s performance and status.

How would he evaluate Wilson: “I’d say with everybody offensively, that’s all of us, we got to be better.”

At any point, did he considers putting Dart in the game.

“I did not.”

“Why did you not consider putting Jaxson in?”

Daboll explained that the game was close until the very end.

Finally asked another question about Wilson’s status, Daboll said “I got confidence in Russ. This game isn’t on Russell Wilson. I’m gonna make that clear. I have confidence in Russ, and we’ve got to do better all the way around.”

I asked Wilson if the fans’ obsession with Dart — and reporters constant questions about the rookie — put added pressure on his shoulders.

“No,” he said. “I just focus on what we can control.” That’s one of Wilson’s many Russ-isms: “Control the controllable.”

No doubt there is a contingent of fans who would like to have a young, white quarterback to be the face of the Giants. Wilson is the first African American to begin the season as the Giants’ starting quarterback. But NFL head coaches whose jobs are on the line tend to play players who give them the best chance to win.

For now, that person is Wilson.

There was a time in the NFL — a long time — that African Americans were not given an opportunity to play quarterback. In the past 10 to 15 years, the league has gotten religion. This season, 16 of the 32 starting quarterbacks are African American.

Last week, Wilson was asked what he thought about half of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks being African American.

“When I think about when I came in 2012, there weren’t many Black starting quarterbacks,” Wilson said. There were nine starting Black quarterbacks that year.

He spoke about evolution, referencing Doug Williams’ historic victory with Washington in 1988, when he became the first Black quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.

“I think that changed a lot,” Wilson said. “It changed a lot in terms of the perspective, not just being a Black quarterback. That’s a big deal. It’s just showing that the game’s evolving, the league is evolving, and we need to continue that. But if you can play, you can play.”

I’m reluctant to keep calling attention to the 16 of 32 Black quarterback benchmark. In the current political climate, where anything having to do with African American progress and accomplishment is under scrutiny and attack, I don’t want to trigger a backlash.

In any event, the facts are the facts.

Wilson is now the elder spokesman among Black quarterbacks.

For Wilson, the challenge of his 14th season is to remove the bitter taste of defeat from his mouth. Last season, Wilson was in Pittsburgh and things were looking up after he led the Steelers to a 7-2 record and first place in the AFC North. Then it all fell apart. The Steelers ended on a four-game losing streak, including a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.

Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner and Wilson were teammates for 10 seasons in Seattle. In 2022, Wilson was traded to Denver and Wagner was released by Seattle.

As he left the Commanders’ locker room, I asked Wagner what the secret was to maintaining a competitive edge year after year and keeping young players at bay.

“My mindset,” Wagner said. “I’m pretty sure Russ would say the same thing. When we first got into the league, they always told us that they’re going to replace you. They’re looking for your replacement every year. You gotta work like that: young guy, old guy — it doesn’t matter. They’re always looking to replace you. The moment you relax, that’s the moment the replacement steps up.”

Wilson will not simply pass the torch to Dart; the rookie will have to take it.

Despite the outcry from fans who want Dart, despite criticism over that past three or four seasons, Wilson said he has allowed himself to cherish the moments.

“You realize that the years add up, and the yards add up, the touchdowns add up, and the wins add up” he said. “It’s just embracing every moment. I’ve been fortunate to be able to embrace every moment. I know for me in Year 14, I feel like this is Year 1. You embrace it all over again. I feel young, I feel vibrant, I feel energetic.”

Last week, Wilson spoke about how he has been able to compete for 14 NFL seasons. He offered a perspective that Dart and even Daniels should take to heart as they continue their respective journeys.

“I think also what matters is you’ve got to have great resilience. Just unbelievable resilience,” Wilson told reporters. “Not everything’s going to go your way, but when you’re resilient, you don’t blink. You really have great confidence. Your confidence doesn’t waver. I think for me, fortunately, throughout my career, especially early on and even as of late, I never blinked.’ “

Dart or no Dart, he likely won’t begin now.

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