The New York Giants have been warned about Russell Wilson by a former NFL quarterback who believes the 10-time Pro Bowler’s leadership is lacking.
That’s the hot take from Chris Simms, who spent five seasons as a passer in the pros, taking in stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. The son of Giants legend and Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms had plenty to say about how Wilson is perceived by teammates.
Speaking on his “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast for NBC, the 44-year-old declared, “I know this, his ability to lead and talk to the players, it falls on deaf ears.”
Simms doubled down on this insight by revealing similar complaints he’d heard during Wilson’s stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season: “I told you, not only was I hearing it from people that I trust in Pittsburgh, but you could watch TV and see it, where he’d be talking to the guys on the sidelines, and they’d literally be trying to look in the opposite direction he was talking.”
This is far from the first time Wilson’s rapport with his fellow players has been questioned. Yet for all the doubts, the 36-year-old has still carved out a successful career in the pros that includes winning a Super Bowl title with the 2013 Seattle Seahawks.
The Giants entered this offseason only able to dream about a quarterback with Wilson’s pedigree, but they also protected themselves via free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.
Russell Wilson Facing Familiar Complaint
Perceived fallouts between Wilson, his coach and teammates, have mired the latter part of his otherwise decorated career. Despite guiding the Steelers to the playoffs last season, Wilson was believed to have a far from harmonious working relationship with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
As Mark Kaboly, Steelers correspondent for The Pat McAfee Show, put it, “despite Wilson and Smith spending countless hours together after the typical workday watching film and publicly joking about it, a team source recently said that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could.”
“I thought the way he conducted himself makes that a legitimate thought or idea”
Mark Kaboly / Steelers Correspondent
For The @PatMcAfeeShow
PITTSBURGH — At this point, Mike Tomlin has no idea who his starting quarterback will be next year and that’s definitely not a place you
A subsequent report detailed how Smith removed Wilson’s freedom to audible at the line of scrimmage. Getting Wilson to stick to the script was also a problem for Sean Payton with the Broncos in 2023.
Speaking to “The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show” in May 2024, Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports reported Wilson “was constantly climbing out of the back of the pocket. He struggled with snap counts. He couldn’t manage or handle the play-calling. They went from putting a wristband on (him) to by the end of the season, all the play calls had to be two words and everybody else was required to know what the play calls were.”
Kinkhabwala also said Wilson is “not necessarily a natural leader.”
This is a lot of bad press for a veteran the Giants are counting on to finally bring some stability to football’s most important position. A lot will depend on how well Wilson gels with head coach Brian Daboll, who has had a fiery relationship with previous Giants QBs, notably Daniel Jones.
Daboll needs things to work with Wilson because his job is in jeopardy after two losing seasons. Those high stakes are why the Giants were smart to safeguard the rest of the depth chart.
Giants Smart to Load Up on Russell Wilson Alternatives
Signing Jameis Winston in free agency created a potential competition with Wilson, but it also gave the Giants another proven commodity with a strong arm. Winston is useful for the present, but the Giants traded back into Round 1 to draft Jaxson Dart to be their future.
Dart fits the Giants plans because of similarities to league MVP Josh Allen, who was originally developed by Daboll with the Buffalo Bills. Handling Dart’s development will require patience, but the Giants need Wilson to be a productive team leader while they wait.
Fortunately, he’s hardly bereft of weapons thanks to last season’s rookie sensation Malik Nabers. Dynamic second-year running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., along with an underrated deep threat and a slot receiver with Olympic-style skills, round out a sneaky good supporting cast.
Wilson couldn’t have found many better situations to revive his career amid low expectations, but only if he refutes critics like Simms.
