NY Giants training camp 2025 highlights from practice field sideline
See and hear New York Giants players during training camp practices from the sideline in East Rutherford.
EAST RUTHERFORD – Russell Wilson oozes confidence, and there’s no doubting that.
But after his first practice of training camp as the quarterback of the New York Giants, I wanted to know if the 36-year-old could recall a time when he found himself searching for it, to no avail.
Or better yet: does Wilson ever feel as though he has to convince others that he is being genuine with his self-belief and none of what he gives off is false bravado?
What followed from Wilson was a 699-word response over nearly four minutes to close his media session, as he went relatively deep into his approach with a beyond-the-surface answer that, to be honest, was quintessential Russ.
“For me, I got no other choice but to be confident because of what I’ve been through and what I’ve gone through and where I’ve been,” Wilson said, while tipping his cap to lessons learned from, among others, his parents, Derek Jeter and a pair of mental coaches with whom he has worked. “And all the success too.”
Say what you want about Wilson and whether he did or did not want to be here with the Giants, even as they took a swing at acquiring Matthew Stafford and waited longer than anyone thought for Aaron Rodgers before reaching agreement with Jameis Winston and Wilson in a four-day span.
All of that came before the Giants traded up into the back end of the first round and drafted Jaxson Dart with the 25th overall pick in late April, adding a player they expect to be their future franchise QB in a bold move for general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll.
What Wilson has brought to this offense – and the team overall – is his undeniable faith in his resume, his ability and the level of play still in his game.
“Part of success is not the moments, the singular moments, it’s a collection of moments that you add up when you add those collection of moments through practice and through your habits daily on and off the field.”
Wilson threw 16 touchdowns with five interceptions in 11 games for the Steelers last season.
He was the QB of a playoff team. Let’s make this clear: he’s not a Giant to be a savior.
He’s here to stabilize the position and be a confident presence at the front of the offense after a rookie WR was forced to do that a year ago. Despite apprehension to the contrary, Wilson did not look washed this spring.
In fact, he was the best offensive player on the field for two months, especially as Malik Nabers spent his time with the training staff, and the 10-time Pro Bowler quickly emerged as a leader the Giants desperately needed from the position – on the field and in the locker room for an entire roster to follow.
On Wednesday, Wilson and Nabers connected for three touchdowns during 11-on-11 team periods, with the latter picking up where he left off as a rookie while setting records for the most catches in Giants history – more receptions in a single season than any other rookie wide receiver in NFL history – with 109 grabs to go along with 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns.
Even more impressive – or frustrating, take your pick – is that the 21-year-old Nabers’ production came while playing with four different quarterbacks in 15 games.
Which brings us back to Wilson and what his presence has meant to these Giants so far. Of course, it’s early and a lot can happen between now and the season opener on Sept. 7 on the road against Washington in Maryland.
The fact remains, any optimism stemming from what Wilson has shown his teammates and coaches so far boils down to this: he truly believes what he says, and because of what he has done, the Giants have no reason to doubt him – yet.
Last season, Daniel Jones did what he could to exude confidence in training camp, and he believed he would do the job. The Giants’ flirtation with the possibility of trading up for Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft left Jones feeling the need to not only convince the organization he could still be the guy.
When things started going wrong from the outset, there was an element of Jones needing to convince himself. His play – and that of those around him – deteriorated by the week, ultimately leading to a benching and his request for a release, which was granted in November.
Once the missteps in his game showed themselves, Jones could not save himself and get out of the tailspin.
For Wilson, with what he has endured, this is a chance to prove he is as resilient as he is sold on his skill and leadership as a quarterback who has been given up on in Seattle, Denver and Pittsburgh.
“I think it was [former Yankees manager] Joe Girardi talking about, I’m paraphrasing here, but talking about Derek Jeter, his best attribute was he was always consistent,” Wilson said. “But he was also consistently great at adjusting. And I think that’s one of the things that you have to be able to do as a guy, a leader, as a player, is be able to consistently adjust and consistently grow.”
And how about this for a full circle scenario, one that was predicted by many from the moment Dart became a Giant: Wilson signed a deal with Big Blue much like Matt Flynn did with the Seahawks in 2012, only to have a rookie QB outplay him surprisingly in the summer to win the job.
Sound farfetched? Flynn signed for $10M guaranteed; Wilson will get $10.5M guaranteed.
If Wilson struggles, the Giants will go to Dart. If Dart isn’t ready, they go to Winston, then Dart.
It’s really not all that complicated. The Giants like what Wilson represents at the top of their depth chart right now, although what he does on the field between the lines is ultimately all that matters, it’s what will keep him there.
“When you’ve seen it and you can anticipate it and you have a process elimination, understand what may happen, what may not happen here, that gives you confidence. And at the end of the day, you got to make plays. I’ve been fortunate to able to make plays for a long time.”
And that’s what Wilson and the confidence he displays really comes down to: making plays.
He did that Wednesday, and his chemistry with Nabers was obvious. They failed to hit on a corner fade jump ball early in practice, which came prior to their three TD hook-ups, so it was notable that, after practice, there were Wilson and Nabers working on their timing and rapport, going over routes and trying to make up for lost time this offseason.
Dart will have his day, there’s no reason to doubt that to this point. The 21-year-old quarterback has undeniable moxie, not to mention some of the same confidence that Wilson has shown throughout his career. Consider what Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence had to say about the rookie, even as he continues to develop his talent: “Dart has a lot of confidence in himself and he walks around like it. But you want that, and I respect that from him.”
That’s what the Giants finally have again in their starting quarterback – the one who has the job now [Wilson] and the one expected to inherit the job in the future [Dart].
Make no mistake: confidence goes a long way in turning around a franchise if the locker room believes it’s real.
To hear Russell Wilson tell it, it’s why he belongs here with the Giants, and they will succeed, as will he.
It’s surely way too soon, but maybe all of this will just work after all.
Because the case being made by Wilson right now is actually convincing enough to believe.