It only took one game for ESPN‘s Rex Ryan to know that it’s time for a quarterback change in the Big Apple.
Russell Wilson was 17-of-37 for 168 yards in Sunday’s ugly 21-6 loss to the Commanders, taking a pair of sacks and fumbling a ball that he eventually got back after scrambling in the red zone.
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On Monday’s “Get Up,” the former Jets coach made the admission that Wilson “can’t play anymore” and that it’s time for Brian Daboll and the G-Men to turn over the keys to first-round pick Jaxson Dart.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JULY 26: Former NFL coach & ESPN analyst Rex Ryan of ‘ESPN’s Sunday’s NFL Countdown’ speaks onstage during the ESPN portion of the 2017 Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Rex has seen enough
“You’ve got to put [Dart] in because Russell Wilson can’t play anymore, and I don’t know what the hell you’re doing with him,” Ryan said Monday morning, via the New York Post. “There’s never an easy time. Everybody has good players. What are you afraid of? Is it gonna be worse? Hell no. Put him out there, let him go, let him ride, and let’s see.”
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“Look, if all of a sudden this guy becomes a real player, which we all assume he will. I think the kid’s got talent. He looked really good — he outplayed Russell Wilson head and shoulders in the preseason. Put him in there. What are you doing?” the ex-coach continued. “You’re gonna play a guy that can’t do it anymore? Stop.”
Rex wasn’t the only one on ESPN’s set that felt that way either. Super Bowl champion Damien Woody also said that it’s time to see what the rookie can do.
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“I’ve seen enough. One week was enough for me,” Woody admitted. “Anytime your superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers is losing it, Week 1, during the game, Malik Nabers is losing it, and if you lose that guy, the one legitimate talent that you have on the offensive side of the ball, you lose him, you have major problems.”
Daboll doubles down
Unfortunately for Rex and Co., Giants head coach Brian Daboll appears to be locked into Wilson as the starter. Telling reporters on Monday, “No, Russ will be the starter.”
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“After a game, it’s an emotional game, tough game, didn’t play particularly well I would say collectively, in terms of making any of those decisions really at any position or schematic changes, I like to do it with a clear head and watch the tape,” Daboll explained.
“Again, like I said [Sunday], that game just doesn’t fall on Russell Wilson. We have to do a better job collectively — coaching, planning. But Russ will be the starter.”
Brian Daboll and Russell Wilson are shown during a New York Giants practice at Quest Diagnostics Training Center, East Rutherford, NJ, on May 28, 2025.Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Giants signed Wilson to a one-year, $10.5 million contract this offseason prior to drafting Dart out of Ole Miss with the 25th overall pick. And while Russ is a Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler, his career clearly hasn’t been going in the right direction since leaving for Denver in 2022.
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It’s only one game, and there’s still time for him to turn it around. But at 36-years-old with a coach and GM on the hot seat, the clock is very much ticking for the former Seahawks star.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.