3 days ago
Giants Russell Wilson Becomes Mentor to Black Quarterbacks
Giants Russell Wilson Becomes Mentor to Black Quarterbacks originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Russell Wilson may be just a bridge quarterback for the New York Giants. But to young, black NFL quarterbacks he's a role model.
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The Giants signed the veteran this offseason to be their starter in 2025, but maybe not 2026 and beyond. That's because they also traded up in the draft to select Ole Miss rookie Jaxson Dart, who they see as the franchise quarterback of the future.
But as the 36-year-old Wilson is set to begin his 14th NFL season with a fourth different team, he takes pride in helping pave the path for younger stars such as Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Justin Fields, Jayden Daniels and even rookie Shedeur Sanders.
'Whatever I can do to inspire guys, to give guys belief," Wilson said this week on Carmelo Anthony's podcast. "Whatever questions - life questions, business questions, football questions, whatever it is - I feel like others did it for me, I gotta do it for them and do it 100 times.'
Only 5-foot-11 and drafted in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson has carved out an elite career highlighted by 10 Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl.
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"There's no magic pill," he said when Anthony asked him about his best advice to young quarterbacks. "You have to do the work."
Wilson, who was also drafted by the Texas Rangers for his baseball prowess, recalled a conversation with Murray. He was drafted by both the NFL and MLB also.
"I give him my perspective of why football first," Wilson said. "Because you can always go back to baseball, but you got to give this football thing a chance because you're short, you're black and you're young. You got to give it a chance now."
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
