CINCINNATI — The Giants won Jaxson Dart’s first start at quarterback on Sunday and don’t appear to be going back to Russell Wilson anytime soon. It’s prompted Sports Illustrated’s Karl Rasmussen to find the best trade fits for the Super Bowl-winning quarterback to close the 2025 season.
Wilson has less than $2 million in base salary remaining on his one-year contract with the Giants.
“The Bengals are an obvious fit for Wilson after Joe Burrow went down with an injury that has him set to miss at least three months,” Rasmussen wrote. “Jake Browning has been inconsistent at best under center for Cincinnati, throwing five interceptions in two games and struggling in a blowout loss to the Vikings in Week 3. In need of a more experienced hand at quarterback, Wilson would make plenty of sense for the Bengals, who are still 2-1 on the year heading into their Monday night game against the Broncos.
“Wilson played in the AFC North as recently as last season with the Steelers, a team the Bengals still have to play twice this year, and although he’s not the player he was in his prime, he’s still capable of putting up big numbers, as he showed in Week 2. If the Bengals want to compete for a spot in the playoffs in hopes of Burrow potentially making it back for the postseason, Wilson will give them a much better chance of doing it than Browning. And if Burrow isn’t able to return, they’ll have a more experienced quarterback under center to work with their elite receiving corps.”
Wilson is flat-out terrible.
Trading any assets for a player that hasn’t proven to be a clear upgrade over Browning at any point in the past three seasons makes zero sense. Add in the fact that he will have to learn the system and get acclimated, and it somehow makes even less sense.
Wilson has been deteriorating every year this decade, and it’s only gotten worse in 2025. He’s posted a 30.9 ESPN QBR this season (31st in NFL), a number that was 51.5 in 2023 and 47.9 in 2024. He is not the answer for the Bengals.
It’s rely on Browning, or bust at this point in the calendar.
