How Russell Wilson's Giants demotion impacts Steelers' compensatory pick

Senior Editor
How Russell Wilson's Giants demotion impacts Steelers' compensatory pick image

The Pittsburgh Steelers had one last hope to get a better compensatory pick for Russell Wilson's departure in free agency, but that road appears to be closed.

Wilson began the year as the starter for the New York Giants, and had he not been benched for rookie Jaxson Dart as early as he was, the Steelers had a chance to nab a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2026 if Wilson had played well enough.

However, the chances of that happening took a major hit after Wilson was benched after just three games and that put the Steelers in line to grab a sixth-round comp selection instead.

Wilson was serving as New York's No. 2 quarterback after getting benched, so there was still a chance for Pittsburgh to regain some value in the aforementioned comp pick, especially after Dart suffered a concussion in Week 10 — but we can now forget about that.

According to multiple reports, the Giants are demoting Wilson to QB3 in favor of Jameis Winston. So, that means if Dart doesn't play because of his concussion, it's Winston who will get the start, not Wilson.

And, that also means Wilson will be two injuries away from seeing the field whenever Dart returns from injury, as he'll now be inactive and serve as the emergency third quarterback every week.

The good news is, the Steelers dodged a bullet not bringing Wilson back.

He has been downright awful this season and looks very much like the washed quarterback we watched in Pittsburgh in 2024.

Now, it looks like his starting days are over, and his career could (and should) be, too.

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Editorial Team