The New York Giants did the unthinkable: They finally made the quarterback room feel legitimately decent. With Russell Wilson now locked in on a one-year deal and Jameis Winston also in the fold, this team is finally trying to bring some order to the offensive chaos that defined 2024.
Wilson might not be the long-term answer, but after what Giants fans had to sit through last season, he doesn’t have to be. This team just needs someone who can complete a forward pass, hit a deep shot once in a while, and keep them in games. That alone would be a huge upgrade from last year’s group which averaged just 16.1 points per game and went 3-14 in the most painful fashion possible.
Literal planes were flying over MetLife Stadium calling for everyone to be fired. It was dark times.
So, what exactly would success look like for Russ in 2025? According to failed NFL player turned hot-take media personality Emmanuel Acho, there’s only one way to judge it—and that’s where things get a little murky.
Emmanuel Acho sets bold bar for Russell Wilson’s success in New York
While hosting FS1’s The Facility alongside LeSean McCoy, James Jones, and Chase Daniel, Emmanuel Acho didn’t hold back:
“A successful season for Russ is to win nine games. Win nine games. I do not care what you do individually because I don’t think the world cares what you do individually,” Acho said. “I was talking about Russell Wilson yesterday with some of his close confidants, and I was talking about the fact that Russell Wilson, over the last two seasons, has 42 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. How do you have 42 touchdowns, 13 interceptions over the last two seasons, and you’re on your third team? What you do individually, Russell Wilson, does not matter nearly as much as what you do collectively.”
It’s a strong take—and not without some merit—but there’s a lot to unpack here.
Yes, Wilson has a lot to prove. Yes, team success will factor heavily into how his time in New York is viewed. But demanding nine wins from a quarterback on his third team in three years, at age 36, with one of the league’s worst offenses from a season ago? That’s a lot to ask.
He’d need to double last year’s win total with the same players that just averaged 16.1 points per game, which was the second-worst in the league. In all fairness, Acho's co-host Chase Daniel did say Wilson needed 10 wins for a successful season, so Acho's analysis wasn't the most egregious, but both are off base.
Success for Wilson shouldn’t just be about the win column. It should be about bringing some darn stability. Making the offense watchable again. Hitting Malik Nabers deep. Giving the Giants a chance in the fourth quarter. That’s success, too. And if they draft a rookie quarterback, mentor the kid. That's success. Thinking he needs to essentially keep them in the playoff hunt next year just to be deemed successful is already setting this experiment up for failure.
Nine wins would be great. But being frisky, elevating the team, and giving fans hope—that’ll go a long way in 2025. Success can come in many different ways. Winning shouldn't be all of them.
