For more than a decade, Russell Wilson built a resume few quarterbacks could match. Super Bowl champion, perennial Pro Bowler, a model of consistency. Amid all this, his solid work ethic deserves a special mention. Back in March, when he signed with the NY Giants, he shared a photo on Instagram with the caption, “Ready to work.” Over the next few months, he won the confidence of Brian Daboll. Moreover, he embraced the competition with Jaxson Dart. But NFL reporter Mike Sando published a report in The Athletic that might stop you in your tracks.

He claimed that, according to several NFL coaches, the traits that once made Wilson special have faded, leaving his career on the brink. “What he had that was magical about him, the ability to create plays on the move, is gone,” a defensive coordinator said. Wilson entered the league in 2012 with the Seattle Seahawks and immediately made an impact. He started all 16 games as a rookie, went 11–5, threw 26 touchdowns, and posted a 100.0 passer rating.

Over the next eight seasons in Seattle, he never missed a game, led the team to double-digit wins in seven years, and developed a reputation for late-game heroics. His peak came in 2015, throwing for 4,024 yards, 34 touchdowns, and a league-leading 110.1 passer rating. Even as his passing numbers soared, Wilson’s legs remained a weapon, topping 500 rushing yards in four separate seasons, including a career-high 849 yards in 2014. From 2012 to 2020, his regular-season record stood at 98–45–1, with over 33,000 passing yards, 267 touchdowns, and a passer rating above 100 in five seasons.

That magic was built on extending plays, buying time, and hitting big throws downfield. But as one defensive coach explained, “If you are a quarterback who has to create time, instead of one who knows where everything is, hits his back foot and throws it, then this is what happens to you.” By 2021, injuries and declining mobility began to show. That year, in only 14 games, he posted his lowest completion percentage since 2017 and a 6–8 record. Russell Wilson’s post-Seattle journey has been turbulent. In 2022 with the Denver Broncos, he went 4–11 with a passer rating of just 84.4, the lowest of his career.

Next year, still with Denver, there was a slight rebound to a 98.0 rating. But the team finished 7–8, and trade rumors swirled. In 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he managed a 6–5 record, but his numbers, 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, 95.6 rating, hardly convinced skeptics. Giants coach Brian Daboll, now his third coach in as many seasons, has repeatedly declared him the 2025 starter, but some around the league see those declarations as a sign of how uncertain his position really is. “The fact that Daboll needs to make such declarations reflects Wilson’s tenuous status,” one coach said.

Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, and Mike Tomlin, three respected head coaches, have all moved on from Wilson within the last three years. A head coach summed it up, “He has pelts on the wall for two-minute offense, and you have to give him credit for that. I think he is a legitimate starter. I wish he would play better, but he’s been in three offenses in the last three years. You know how that goes.” The fall from the top is clear in the annual QB Tiers rankings. In 2020, he was tied for first. In 2021, he was fourth.

By 2022, he slipped to eighth, then 16th in 2023, 22nd in 2024, and now 26th in 2025. From the NFL’s elite to the bottom tier in just five years, a slide few could have imagined during his prime. At 36, with his mobility diminished and his ranking plummeting, Wilson faces perhaps his final shot at proving he’s still a legitimate starter. If the coaches’ words are any indication, the league believes the chapter on his prime is already closed.

And that might give a way to the rookie to find his footing.

Teammates support Russell Wilson’s rookie rival

Jaxson Dart went 12-of-19 for 154 yards in the 34–25 preseason win over the Bills, tossed a touchdown, and, more importantly, looked like he’d been doing this for years. The numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they hint at it. Poise under pressure, a live arm, and the rare ability to win over an NFL locker room.

And the Giants’ locker room? They’ve clearly bought in. Linebacker Abdul Carter posted a sideline photo of himself and Dart shaking hands mid-game. Captioned simply “51,” it was a quiet nod to the chemistry brewing. Dart reposted it with a “🤞🤝” like he knew the cameras were catching more than a handshake. Even Russell Wilson threw it on his Instagram story.

Wilson got the nod as the starter, just as head coach Brian Daboll had promised. But Dart jogged in with 6:14 left in the first quarter. He stayed until halftime, driving the offense with a rhythm you don’t usually see in a preseason opener. The Giants’ official account even dropped a shot of Wilson and Dart together, captioned, “Starting the year off strong 🔥.” New York doesn’t throw the spotlight around for just anyone.

Big Blue fans have been here before, falling hard for preseason heroes. But Dart’s case feels different. He’s a 21-year-old with SEC pedigree, game-ready toughness, and a locker room already lining up behind him. His post-game words hit the mark, “Big shout out to those big boys up front for keeping it clean.” That’s the kind of gratitude that sticks.

And if you think this is just a nice August moment, you haven’t been paying attention. Russell Wilson is still QB1, nobody’s pretending otherwise, but nights like this blur the lines. In the NFL, confidence spreads fast. And right now, Jaxson Dart is playing like he’s got enough to go around.