It all clicked for Russell Wilson this offseason when he was deciding on his next NFL stop.
The spectacle, the opportunity and the players and coaches awaiting him lured him to New York, where he'll have a chance to lead a scuffling Giants franchise back to the glory days of yore.
"The opportunity here is so great," Wilson said on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast. "I don't mind the lights. I don't mind that part of it. I think the other part of it for me, most importantly of it all that, is I've been here before. When you walk into a stadium, into a locker room and you know, like my locker is the same locker I had when I won the Super Bowl. So, for me, when I see that, when I walk into the stadium I'm like, I've been here before. Not just been here but, like, we did this before.
"So, I fundamentally believe it's possible again in terms of being successful again and being at the highest level. I think we got the right guys. ... There's a lot of good pieces to it. And it's a show."
Wilson indeed lifted a Lombardi Trophy at the Giants' MetLife Stadium, but when he was standing in front of the same locker he has now, it was as a second-year quarterback for the Seahawks, a lifetime ago in February 2014. It'll take a gargantuan collective effort if he is to manifest those thoughts into leading Big Blue down a similar path over a decade later.
Four-time Super Bowl champions, the Giants have only reached the playoffs twice since last winning a ring in 2011. It's a distinction in part made possible by the expanded 17-game season, but they are coming off their most single-season losses (14) in franchise history, which dates back to 1925. Wilson has likewise hit a lull during the back nine of his career. Although he enjoyed a redemptive age-36 season, throwing for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions while helping the Steelers to a playoff berth, he's now on his fourth team in five years.
Wilson nonetheless believes the Giants have the makings of a turnaround candidate.
Head coach Brian Daboll indicated the QB will have a chance to make good on the team's potential. After drafting Jaxson Dart at No. 25 overall in April -- and despite also signing Jameis Winston -- he told reporters that Wilson will be New York's starter.
Daboll, the 2022 AP NFL Coach of the Year, was one of several people Wilson highlighted who influenced his decision to sign with the Giants.
Daboll's been somewhat hamstrung by team injuries and poor QB play, leading to a bottom-five scoring unit the past two seasons, but he remains a well-respected guru. He led two top-five offenses in his last two years coordinating the Bills offense before he made the jump to head coach.
"Here with Dabes, I'm excited because his offensive wizardry is really special," Wilson said. "Him and (offensive coordinator Mike) Kafka, a guy who played quarterback in the league, just the rest of the staff, too ... people that I know and people that I believe in. I'm excited about the opportunity."
If Daboll and Wilson prove able to turn the clock back a bit for each other, a good degree of their renewed success will come via wide receiver Malik Nabers.
The 2024 No. 6 overall pick was simply a stud as a rookie. He found open space with ease and reached the Pro Bowl with a team-leading 109 catches, 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
"Malik Nabers, man, dude's a superstar," Wilson said. "I was watching the film trying to make decisions, trying to get a clear understanding of who the players are, this and that. Obviously, you see the highlights and everything else, but when you watch every single catch and every single rep and every play, you get to see the kind of player he is. He's dynamic. He touches the football, he gone."
There's obviously no guarantee Wilson remains the starter throwing to Nabers and benefitting from any Daboll magic throughout the entire season. The QB room is packed with signal-callers in waiting, and those lights Wilson mentioned playing under, powered by the intense scrutiny of the Big Apple media, are among the harshest in the country.
Should he endure in New York, though, Wilson has no doubt his latest opportunity can end in contention.
