Russell Wilson says this 'superstar' factored into decision to sign with New York Giants

USA Today

2 days ago

Russell Wilson says this 'superstar' factored into decision to sign with New York Giants
Russell Wilson is back in New York, the place where he won a Super Bowl in 2014 and where he got to live out his dream of being a Major League Baseball player.
This time, Wilson is coming in as the quarterback of the New York Giants, but he has always felt he's a strong connection to the largest city in America. He loves it here, even if he might not be here after this season.
Wilson and his wife, recording artist Ciara, have been seen about town since he inked the one-year deal with Big Blue that could potentially net him over $21 million.
"Just the enthusiasm, man. Just the enthusiasm around the city, walking around in the streets of New York or going to the games or whatever it may be," Wilson said on this week's episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, hosted by NBA legend, Carmelo Anthony.
"I've been a Yankee before, I'm still in the Yankees organization, technically still Yankee… It's like no matter how great you are, how great things have been for you, no matter how tough it's been, no matter what's going on in your personal life, no matter what's going on, this and that, at the end of the day, man, the ball heals everything.
"Winning heals all wounds. So that's what we're focused on is just the winning process and just doing that and just being successful and being focused on the process of winning. It's not just, obviously the W at the end matters. We can't control that right now, but what we can control is how we go about our business and our focus and bringing a championship mentality and work ethic daily. And that's the presence that I always want to bring."
Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII as the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks after the 2014 season. The Seahawks walloped the Denver Broncos, 43-8, at MetLife Stadium.
Four years later, Wilson, a former draft choice of the Colorado Rockies and farmhand of the Texas Rangers, was invited to spring training by the New York Yankees. He batted in a Grapefruit League game as a pinch hitter for some guy named Aaron Judge. Facing Max Freid of the Atlanta Braves, Wilson struck out on five pitches.
Wilson will be the Giants' quarterback come the opening kickoff in September. The 10-time Pro Bowler will be under some pressure and will have to show results. He has Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart breathing down his neck on the sidelines.
Wilson has been long connected to the Giants but the two sides couldn't make it fit until this year. After two seasons in Denver, Wilson landed in Pittsburgh last year with the Steelers. This spring, he and Giants made it work. The usually exuberant Wilson is enthusiastic about meeting the challenges of playing in New York and helping turn the Giants back into contenders.
'New York and this opportunity here to play here, the world's biggest market, the toughest, one of the toughest divisions in football... a lot of odds against you," he told Anthony, who as a former New York Knick, knows plenty about playing under pressure in the Big Apple.
'I just turned on the film and watching this guy Malik Nabers, man, this dude's a superstar. I saw him, I was watching the film and just before I tried to make decisions, try to get a clear understanding of who the players are, this and that, and obviously you see the highlights and everything else, but when you watch every single catch and every single rep and every play, you get to see the kind of player he is, man, he's dynamic. He touches that football, he gone.
"I really liked [Brian] Daboll, too. Obviously watching Dabes over the years, the guy who was a coach of the year, I dunno, two, three years ago, brilliant mind spending time with him actually came out here last year before I signed with Pittsburgh last time too and I just had a great appreciation of his mind for the game and how he saw the game.'
If you're wondering if any man ever played in a game for both the Yankees and the football Giants, we found the answer.
Wilson will be just the second to wear the uniform of both iconic franchises. The only other was Hinkey Haines, who was a reserve outfielder on the Yankees' world championship team of 1923 before turning to football where he played halfback for four seasons and was a member of Big Blue's 1927 NFL Championship club.