Russell Wilson hasn’t played well in a long time. Once on a Hall of Fame trajectory, he now finds himself not even as backup anymore, but the emergency third quarterback when Jaxson Dart returns. That’s as bad as a situation can get for a Super Bowl-winning player. But if you ask Wilson, he’s far from giving up on the game or his future despite growing calls for retirement.

“I love this game. I’m obsessed with it,” Wilson told Brandon London of the New York Post. “I still got a lot more ball left in me. I know what I’m capable of. I think I showed that in Dallas. I just needed another opportunity, and I’m staying prepared and ready to rock and roll.”

“I know how great I am,” he also told reporters on Wednesday after Jameis Winston was named the starter against the Green Bay Packers. “A couple of games may have gone here and there, but I’m just excited for the next opportunity to step between the white lines. I’m not going to stop swinging.”

But, despite the optimism and his plan to play for “five to seven years” as noted last year, the reality points toward a painful picture.

In six games with the Giants, including three starts, Russell Wilson has looked a shadow of his former self: 58% completion on 119 attempts for 831 yards and just three touchdowns, while being sacked 10 times. In Week 3 vs the Kansas City Chiefs, a 22-9 loss, Wilson endured one of the worst red-zone possessions of the season. Even when filling in for Dart, his struggles made the rookie look like a seasoned pro.

In fact, during the fourth quarter, all hell broke loose as the QB played one of the worst four consecutive plays. On first-and-goal from the four, the 36-year-old threw the ball toward the stadium tunnel as his team trailed by 13 with a little over three minutes to go. Called for intentional grounding, Wilson then took off for four yards up the middle on second-and-goal. Then, in third-and-goal, he threw the ball out of the end zone, followed by a fourth down when he hit the crossbar.

With free agency looming in 2026, it’s hard to imagine any team signing him as a starting quarterback again.

However, there’s a flip side. His Week 2 performance against the Dallas Cowboys left teammates amazed despite a 40-37 defeat as he drove Big Blue down the field in overtime. He had a completion rate of 73.2% with 450 passing yards, with all three of his touchdowns this season coming in that game.

The 10x Pro-Bowler was supposed to steady a struggling offense, but things went sideways fast. Expectedly, when it was time to step up after Dart went down with a concussion, interim head coach Mike Kafka named Jameis Winston as the starter.

Some speculate that Wilson’s benching has less to do with his on-field performance and more to do with his relentless positive lip service. He talks about “leading and loving”, says he “loves this organization”, and claims he’s “ready to rock and roll.”

Whatever the case, one thing’s for sure: Russell Wilson is slowly losing the trust of his team. Just like Brian Daboll did this week.

You never want to see Dabes go: Russell Wilson

Adding to the Giants’ drama, Coach Daboll was fired after a disappointing run. When the season started, Big Blue fans weren’t ready for anything more to go wrong. But their quarterbacks haven’t been optimal, the injuries are piling up, and now the head coach has been let go mid-season.

Even with the switch to interim coach Kafka, Wilson acknowledged Daboll’s role in building the team’s foundation.

“You never want to see Coach Dabes go,” Wilson said in an interview. “He’s been a tremendous part of why we’re all here. And I think he’s just a tremendous coach guy who won coach of the year not too long ago.”

Daboll earned the prestigious 2022 AP NFL Coach of the Year award after turning the Giants around with a strong 9-7-1 season. That year, Big Blue made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Cut to now, and the Giants are currently on a four-game losing streak with a 2-8 record.

Some say Brian Daboll’s firing was a long time coming, just like it is with Wilson’s retirement push.

Regardless, the player’s commitment remains steady. His words and attitude show he’s not ready to fade away quietly. Whether he’ll regain that Hall of Fame form is still a question, but as far as New York football goes, the drama around Wilson and the Giants is far from over.