Giants are paying $10M to learn what Broncos already knew about Russell Wilson

If the New York Giants learned anything from the Denver Broncos, it should have been to just dive headfirst into a new era with a rookie quarterback. Instead, they're learning the hard way -- by paying $10 million in guaranteed cash -- to quickly find out what the Broncos already knew about Russell Wilson.

Wilson and the Giants' offense struggled badly in Week 1, scoring just 6 points in a loss against the Commanders. Wilson completed 17-of-37 pass attempts for just 165 yards with no touchdowns, two sacks taken, and a QBR of 25.5. It was about what everyone in Broncos Country would have expected given what we all experienced during the Russell Wilson era, but the Giants are trying to make "fetch" happen.

With Jaxson Dart waiting in the wings, the Giants are already non-committal about Wilson's week-to-week status as the starting quarterback.

Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson off to poor start with New York Giants

Wilson is set to start in Week 2 for the Giants, but the leash feels incredibly short. Giants head coach Brian Daboll was already sounding like he was on the fence about Wilson's starting status before making the announcement that he would start in Week 2.

It just feels like they're delaying the inevitable at this point.

The Broncos made a much more expensive mistake with Wilson, but they had the humility to move on from it quickly, swallow a bitter pill, and it's resulted in the team finding a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix. Wilson has now been bouncing around the league the last few years, reaching journeyman status after a 10-year career with the Seattle Seahawks that had him on track for the Hall of Fame.

It's been a steep dropoff, but it's really surprising that teams are still willing to pay good money for what Wilson has brought to the table the last three seasons. The Giants used a 1st-round pick on Jaxson Dart, who was impressive enough in the preseason that fans are already calling for him to start after one game of struggling by Wilson.

The decision to sign Wilson in the first place was a desperate attempt by the current Giants regime to save face. They had an embarrassing year last year not only with their own quarterback situation (cutting former 1st-round pick Daniel Jones in the middle of the year) but also with how well Saquon Barkley played for the division rival Eagles.

Nobody felt like the Giants getting Russell Wilson was going to completely change their fate this season, but they paid the $10 million price tag to find out anyway.