{"id":48461,"date":"2025-05-15T08:06:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48461"},"modified":"2025-05-15T08:06:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:06:42","slug":"giants-russell-wilson-breaks-down-what-it-means-to-play-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48461","title":{"rendered":"Giants\u2019 Russell Wilson breaks down what it means to play in New York"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why did Russell Wilson decide to sign with the Giants? Well, part of the decision comes down to the 10-time Pro Bowler’s love of New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"AFC<\/figure>\n
When\u00a0Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants\u00a0mere weeks before the 2025 NFL Draft \u2013\u00a0and shortly after they also signed Jameis Winston \u2013 it turned heads around the league.<\/p>\n

Why would Wilson sign onto a team like the Giants when there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be drafting his replacement shortly thereafter,\u00a0which they did in Jaxson Dart \u2013 when there were opportunities like going to the New Orleans Saints or returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers that were still on the table.<\/p>\n

Well, part of it might be because Wilson just\u00a0really loves New York, as he broke down in an interview with ESPN.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust New York City, you know, it’s a funny story.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0You know, my uncle he ended up passing away,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0but he was a big-time lawyer in New York for a long time, and everything else. A<\/span><\/span>nd I always came to New York.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I always loved New York City because he was always here.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0He’s just an amazing individual,\u201d Wilson recalled.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI mean, I used to always, he always wore a Yankees hat.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>And it doesn’t matter if he’s come to, you know,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0back in the day when I was starting as a young rookie,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0he’d come to the, I remember I played this game in Chicago as a rookie.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0And he came to the game; he wouldn’t take his Yankees hat off.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0I was like, \u2018Oh, you got to at least put, you know, this beanie on,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Seahawks beanie on or something, you know?’<\/span><\/span>\u00a0And so I just, I’ve always loved New York.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve always loved, obviously, the Yankees.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I’ve always, you know, being a Yankee,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0obviously being a New York Giant now, man, what a privilege, what an honor.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I mean, this team’s been going since 1925, man.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>It’s a blessing to be a part of it and the traditions, and what that means.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0And a guy like\u00a0Eli Manning\u00a0coming to talk to us,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0a guy who I got to compete against many a times,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I really respect, you know, being, talking to us as players the other day<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0and what it takes to be a Giant and what that means.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0And so I’m looking forward to it and all the great things<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0and also the obstacles and all that.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>But New York City is a great city to be in.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now granted, would Wilson have opted against a trip to New York if the Steelers, Saints, or another team entirely decided to hand him a massive contract with multiple years of security? Yeah, at this point, Wilson is a journeyman who will get his work where the work is to be getting, with an ability to be picky no longer afforded to the 10-time Pro Bowler. Still, it is cool to learn his connection to New York, as it should make his time starting for the Giants all the more special, no matter how long it lasts.<\/p>\n

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