Russell Wilson focused on being a leader for the Giants even with all eyes on rookie Jaxson Dart
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Russell Wilson knows he's not the future. Not at this point in his career. The New York Giants hope that'll be Jaxson Dart.
For now, though, Wilson is the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart — and he fully expects to remain there when the season starts.
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Still, all eyes during offseason practices are on Dart, the big-armed first-round draft pick from Mississippi.
'It doesn't change anything at all,' Wilson said of his approach after the Giants' sixth practice of organized team activities Thursday. 'I think the biggest thing is for me is just being my best every day, leading. I always think about just leading everybody, just leading every room, every moment, every time I get to step between the white lines and the opportunity of that.'
New York signed the 36-year-old Wilson, who's entering his 14th season, in March to a one-year deal worth up to $21 million with $10.5 million guaranteed. The move gave the Giants a stopgap option at quarterback, teaming with Jameis Winston and holdover Tommy DeVito.
But a month later, New York traded back into the first round of the draft and took Dart — giving the Giants a potential signal caller for the future.
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'Jaxson's been great, man,' Wilson said while speaking to reporters for the first time since the draft. 'He's a great worker, great teammate. We're having fun, all of us. We have a really good quarterback room. Guys are so focused and working diligently every day. He's going to be an extremely, extremely good talent and everything else throughout his career.'
For now, though, Dart is the student and Wilson very much the teacher. And the leader of the offense.
'I always share and I always think about communication,' Wilson said. 'I'm a big believer in communicating out loud, just, 'Here's what I'm thinking, here's what I'm saying.' You don't hold any information. I think that for us, it's always about us being the best that we can all be.
'And I think for me, when you have tremendous confidence in yourself, you have no problem sharing it with others. I think that's just how I've always believed.'
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Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, helped Pittsburgh make the playoffs last season and threw for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdown passes and five interceptions and a 96.5 passer rating. But the Steelers lost five in a row at the end of the season, including in the wild-card playoffs against Baltimore.
The Steelers allowed Wilson to become a free agent and he joined the Giants with a chance to help turn around a franchise that went through a 3-14 season with a revolving door at quarterback.
'It's been nice,' wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson said. 'A guy that's been in this league a long time. He tells you exactly what he wants out there, running routes, and the spots he needs you to be in. So, it's been really, really nice.'
Wilson might not be the dynamic playmaker he was while helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2014, but there's enough there to make the Giants optimistic about what he can do for them.
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'I see a lot of things in Russ and things that I watched from afar for a long time — his time in Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh, just the leadership, the command,' offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. 'You see that on the field. I think the players are responding to it.'
Wilson has also been trying to build chemistry with his new teammates, including throwing with several of them in the Atlanta area. Earlier this week, he gathered several of his offensive linemen, running backs and the other quarterbacks for a group dinner.
'We just had a good time, just tons of laughs and a good time together,' Wilson said. 'I think the fellowship of it all is the best part right now. Obviously, our work ethic and what we're doing in the field. But when it comes to just the tight-knit culture that we're continuing to build and continue to grow, and we want to have a championship football team, and in terms of our mentality and our approach and how we go about it.
'And it's not just the games, but it's everything that leads up to that. And that's the fun part about the game of football.'
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