As the New York Giants just wrapped up a disappointing 4-13 NFL season, it now seems likely that their veteran quarterback, Russell Wilson, is ready to move on. Wilson’s first year in New York took an unexpected trajectory as he watched rookie Jaxson Dart take the field and endured far more losses than wins. As such, while Wilson is set to hit free agency next, his latest social media post made it clear that this chapter with the Giants may be coming to an end.

“Grateful for it All. @nygiants,” Russell Wilson wrote in the caption of his recent Instagram post.

Wilson thanked the Giants for the opportunity, but the message sounded like more than simple appreciation – it sounded like a farewell. Along with the caption, Wilson also posted a carousel of eleven photos that looked like a full-season recap.

The first photo showed Russell Wilson standing on the field in a Giants uniform, staring straight into the camera, completely locked in. It felt like a final portrait in blue for Wilson. Another photo showed him walking out of the tunnel at MetLife Stadium with his teammates. Wearing his No. 3 jersey, Wilson walked through the glowing blue lights, ready for game day.

Then came the family photo as Wilson stood on the field with his wife, Ciara, surrounded by family, friends, and kids. While Wilson was wearing his Giants jersey, everyone else was bundled up in sweaters and beanies to fight off the cold in New York. Another photo showed Wilson sharing a hug with Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs after a game. 

The rest of the carousel followed the same pattern, as Russell Wilson mixed game-day moments with sideline snapshots. Taken together, Wilson’s post did not feel like a simple recap of the season with the Giants. Interestingly, Wilson also sounded like he was saying goodbye when he met with reporters on January 5 at MetLife Stadium.

“What an amazing place, what an amazing organization – truly first class in every way,” Wilson told reporters.

While the Giants’ QB praised his franchise, the reality is that his deal in New York was always short-term. Earlier in the offseason, the veteran quarterback signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Giants, packed with incentives if he played the whole season. But that same offseason, the Giants also drafted rookie QB Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss. And Dart quickly showed in training camp that he was ready for the NFL.

As such, Wilson’s role changed fast, and he got downgraded to third-string QB just a few weeks into the 2025 season. That fall made fans and critics wonder: Does Wilson even want to keep playing in the NFL?

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It was not a long time ago that Russell Wilson looked like a future Hall of Famer. Then, his career took a turn after he left the Seattle Seahawks. He couldn’t recapture his old form, and that eventually cost him his starting job with the Giants. Still, at 37, he does not sound like a player who is ready to walk away from the NFL.

“I’m not blinking,” Russel Wilson told reporters recently. “I know I’m capable of [playing]. And I want to be able to do that again and just be ready to rock and roll and be as healthy as possible and be ready to play ball.”

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The numbers, however, tell a rough story about Russell Wilson’s time with the Giants. He started only three games in the 2025 season and appeared in six. In those limited games, he then completed just 58% of his passes for 831 yards, 3 touchdowns, and three interceptions. Wilson also went 0-3 as a starter. So, this isn’t the classic Russ anymore, but he has the desire to play in the NFL.

Not to forget that there was also more going on behind the scenes with Wilson. After Dart closed the season for the Giants with a 34–17 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Wilson revealed that he had played through a torn hamstring earlier in the season. Wilson suffered the injury in the final practice before the Week 2 matchup against Dallas and kept it a secret until recently.

Despite that injury, Wilson played in that Week 2 game, which ended up being his best one with the Giants. He threw for 450 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while completing 30 of 41 passes in a 40-37 overtime loss to the Cowboys. But as Wilson could not repeat that performance the following week, by Week 4, Dart took over as the starter. Wilson still stayed positive and tried to help the rookie. But then, he saw a new low in his career with a slide further down the depth chart, falling behind Jameis Winston to become QB3.

Now, as it turns out, the Giants are expected to hire a new head coach to build a team around Jaxson Dart. And with Winston already under contract for next season, it’s hard not to think this was it for Wilson in New York.