How to be a mentor? Back in the Giants’ QB room, Russell Wilson is giving the guidelines. With Wilson and Jameis Winston bringing their veteran experience boards, they aren’t shying away from showing the ropes to the rookies. As for Jaxson Dart, he’s soaking it all from his former Seahawks hero. But that’s the perspective from the top. Going to the grassroots, some people aren’t exactly onboard with the mentor paradigm that Wilson’s projecting. Specifically, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are not buying it at all.

Talking to the reporters some time ago, Russell Wilson clarified what it means to be a mentor for him. It’s not just the rookie QB Jaxson Dart that Wilson wants to guide. As Wilson notably said, “I’ve always viewed it as you’re always trying to be the best version of you, and then you’re always giving back to everybody else.” So, the plan? “I think that it’s not just about one teammate, it’s about all the teammates. It’s about everybody in the building.” It’s an all-encompassing goal for Wilson that stretches from the QB room all the way to the training room. But Wilson now heads into the 14th season of his NFL career. And Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are viewing it quite differently for him. The gesture that seems gallant and generous at first may actually have some hidden layers to it.

On their Nightcap podcast, Shannon Sharpe asked Chad Johnson for his take on Russell Wilson’s mentorship goals. While he praised Wilson’s stance in saying “the right thing,” he wasn’t all-in with Wilson’s stance. As Johnson added, “he has the gift of gab. He understands the position that he’s in. He’s been afforded another opportunity to prove himself, which I think he will do. But in that situation, he has to say that. Does he really feel that way? Absolutely not.” As the first-round pick, Jaxson Dart comes with the easy QB1 potential down the line for the Giants. And Johnson doesn’t believe Wilson is really all-in for mentoring someone who is gunning for the QB1 job soon. As Johnson doubled down, “He’s a first-round pick. I know my leash is short. He has to say that. Does he really feel that? – As a competitor, as a football player, absolutely not.” 

As for Shannon Sharpe, he added his own take on the matter. “Everybody’s going to have their opinions. I mean, it all depends on the quarterback. Because you know, that’s the reason why if you notice starting quarterbacks, they take the kneel down and everything. – They’re going to fight through injury because they don’t want you to get a look at that backup.” As an NFL legend, Shannon Sharpe has first-hand experience dealing with a similar situation. During his career with the Broncos, Sharpe mentored a lot of players who “Mike [Shanahan] felt they were good enough to replace me.” Cut to his two-year stint with the Ravens, and a similar thing unfolded there. Sharpe mentored the draft addition, Todd Heap, and once Heap was ready, the Ravens cut bait. “‘Well, yeah, he good now.’ So they released me and I had to go back to Denver.”

So, as far as Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are concerned, Russell Wilson said the perfect thing at that moment. But whether he means it or not is a different question altogether. So, where do the Giants players go for guidance then? Especially given that Russell Wilson has had a history of being called ‘fake’? 

Russell Wilson’s troubled past

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson aren’t the first people to call out Russell Wilson. Back when Wilson was the starter for the Denver Broncos, Lions OL T. J. Lang had also shared a similar take. When asked if he felt Russell Wilson was ‘fake’, Lang had made his stance with “clearly.” Lang had doubled down with “He just seems confused. He doesn’t really have an identity. You know what I mean? He’s like so fraudulent and fake. But, at the same time, that might still just genuinely be who he is.” Lang even called Wilson “a cornball” even when recalling Wilson’s Seahawks days. But Lang certainly wasn’t the only one to discuss this aspect of Russell Wilson.

During his time with the Broncos, Russell Wilson had landed a massive $245 million contract extension. Analysts and insiders believed a lot had to come with that price tag, but Wilson wasn’t checking the boxes. As NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt had called Wilson “one of the least authentic personalities.” Brandt had further noted, “I think Russell Wilson is a poser. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad person, actually he’s a good person. I think he tries to be something that he’s not. And, when you make $245 million, you’ve either got to be a really good guy with a locker room who loves you, or you’ve got to be an amazing player.” For Wilson, with the added critique from Sharpe and Johnson, that narrative doesn’t seem to have changed. But what about the Giants locker room needing guidance along with their rookie QB Jaxson Dart?

The Giants’ HC Brian Daboll seems to have the mentorship part covered pretty well, even without Russell Wilson. Giants legends like Eli Manning and Michael Strahan have been frequent visitors to the building. Manning has even urged the players to call/text him with any questions they may have or even meet him in the cafeteria. So, even if the current QB1 doesn’t show them the ropes, the legends have the rookies covered.