When quarterback Russell Wilson signed with the Giants, he was quick to point out that he once won a Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium. That was one game. And his career as the Giants’ starter resulted in the same experience — one game at MetLife Stadium.
That’s all Wilson got before the team decided to implement the Jaxson Dart protocol. (And Wilson might not have even gotten that, if he hadn’t turned back the clock and thrown for 450 yards against the Cowboys in Dallas.)
So what’s next for Wilson, now that he has been sent to the bench?
When things started to go sideways in Denver, Wilson’s personal P.R. team activated, pushing the talking points regarding a supposed “threat” that he’ll be benched if he doesn’t change the trigger date for a fully-guaranteed 2025 base salary. What, if anything, will be the message now that Wilson has been told, as politely as possible, to take a seat by the Giants after only three games?
It could be one of the reasons why he got a second game in the first place, after a sluggish Week 1 performance at Washington. It could be one of the reasons why the team went through an awkward early-season stretch of refusing to let Dart or Jameis Winston talk to the media. The Giants needed to create the impression that Wilson got a full and fair chance to hold the job. After Sunday night, with Wilson launching moon balls that, for the most part, didn’t connect and the fans booing his ultimately ignominious return to the site of Super Bowl XLVIII, it will be hard for unnamed sources to have much credibility if/when complaints circulate about how Russ has been treated by Big Blue.
Still, even if external agitation doesn’t occur, Wilson could begin to make an internal effort to exit New York. His salary guarantees only $10.5 million for 2025, with another $10.5 million available in incentives that are unlocked by playing, not by sitting. Of that amount, $7.5 million was tied to performance, playing time, and making the playoffs. Another $3 million flowed from each win in which he takes at least 50 percent of the snaps.
He has unlocked none of the incentives, and will earn not a penny beyond his base deal if he doesn’t play. He has an obvious financial incentive to try to go to a team where he will be on the field.
Of the various quarterback injuries suffered through three weeks of the 2025 season, only one team has lost its starter for most (if not all) of the balance of the season: The Bengals. And Wilson was born in Cincinnati. That’s an obvious place for him to try to go.
There could be others. Six weeks remain until the trade deadline arrives. If the Giants don’t want him to play, he’ll likely (if not definitely) want to go to a team that gives him the ball.
Or he could ask to be released. While the Giants may not want to eat the balance of his $10.5 million salary, they’d still have Winston if/when Wilson is gone. If no one will trade for Wilson, it could make plenty of sense to eat the money and part ways.
Regardless of how it plays out, it will be a surprise if Wilson allows his career to go gentle into that good night. Which is exactly what it will do if he spends the next 15 weeks in the shadows of Jaxson Dart.
There is some moderately positive news for the Bengals after Sunday’s drubbing at the hands of the Vikings.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, running back Samaje Perine’s MRI did not reveal significant damage in his thumb.
Perine had to exit Sunday’s loss early with the injury. He has not been ruled out for Cincinnati’s Week 4 matchup against Denver on Monday night.
Back with the Bengals after a season with the Broncos and a season with the Chiefs, Perine has caught two passes for 6 yards and taken four carries for 21 yards so far in 2025.
With a Monday game coming up, the Bengals’ first injury report of the week will be released on Thursday.
The Broncos nearly stole a game from the Chargers on Sunday, even though L.A. statistically dominated.
The Chargers had 29 first downs. The Broncos had nine. The Chargers gained 376 yards from scrimmage. The Broncos gained 265.
So what did Denver coach Sean Payton think of the offensive performance around second-year quarterback Bo Nix?
“I think it was too inconsistent,” Payton told reporters on Monday. “There were too many minus plays. So yesterday was a day that I would say the job degree difficulty factor, it was a hard day to play quarterback when your average third down is third-and-11. If we’re not more efficient on first and second down, the best in our league are going to struggle with the numbers that we gave [Nix] on third down. The thing that stood out was not only the penalties that set you back offensively, but the minus plays. That has to be corrected for us to be a quality offense.”
The loss dropped the Broncos to 1-2. They nevertheless could be 3-0.
“We’re playing the schedule that we got,” Payton said. “Obviously, the last two weeks we’ve played some pretty good football teams. We think we’re one of those teams. . . . We’ve lost two games in a row, two close games with really last-second field goals. It’s disappointing, but we have to learn, ‘Why were these games this close towards the end, and how do we put ourselves in a position to finish better?’ Certainly that’s collectively all of us.”
Payton remains optimistic that things will turn his team’s way.
“There’s a stretch where you begin to win games and you play better,” Payton said. “That’s what’s due for this team. That’s what has to happen for this team. That’s what has to be on our horizon.”
The horizon arrives next Monday night, against the Bengals. But then the Broncos go to Philly on a short week.
Things soften with games against the Jets, Giants, Cowboys, Texans, and Raiders. That could be the best place to get things rolling, before a Week 11 visit from the Chiefs.
The Broncos didn’t commit a leverage penalty this week, but they found themselves in the same position that they did at the end of their Week 2 loss to the Colts.
Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker knocked home a 43-yard field goal as time expired to lift his team to a 23-20 home win over their AFC West rivals. The win moves the Chargers to 3-0 for the first time since 2022.
The win ended a rollercoaster game. The Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Broncos got a touchdown just before halftime and then scored 10 quick points in the third quarter. After the team’s traded field goals, Justin Herbert and the Chargers got the ball with a little over five minutes to play.
Herbert was sacked five times and hit 14 times, but he was able to find enough time to complete passes to Keenan Allen and Omarion Hampton for first downs. The pressure returned a couple of plays later, but Herbert evaded it long enough to whip a pass to Allen in the back of the end zone to tie the score.
The Broncos went three-and-out when Bo Nix overthrew an open Courtland Sutton on a deep ball and Herbert hit three straight passes to move the Chargers over midfield. A Hampton run and Ladd McConkey catch got them into field goal range and Dicker made them winners.
Herbert was 28-of-47 for 300 yards and threw an interception in addition to the touchdown. Hampton ran 19 times for 70 yards and caught six passes for 59 yards as he took on a bigger role in the wake of Najee Harris’ departure. Harris appeared to tear his Achilles, although there’s been no specific word from the Chargers about his condition yet.
Sutton had six catches for 118 yards and J.K. Dobbins ran 11 times for 83 yards and a touchdown against his former team, but the Broncos went three-and-out six times during an inconsistent offensive performance. Bo Nix was 14-of-25 for 153 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos fell to 1-2 on the season.
The Broncos will head back home to host the Bengals on Monday night in Week 4. The Chargers will cross the country to take on the Giants next Sunday.
Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins had negative-four rushing yards in the first half on Sunday, but the team found a way to get him going to kick off the third quarter.
Dobbins broke loose for a 41-yard run on the Broncos’ first play and then ran for six yards on the next one. Play three was a 19-yarder that ended in the end zone and put the Broncos up 14-10.
That marked a sudden change as Denver went the first 29-plus minutes of the game without scoring any points.
They didn’t have to wait long to extend that lead. Derius Davis fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Broncos are up 17-10 after a Wil Lutz field goal.
