One of the major draws that brought Russell Wilson to the New York Giants was the prospect of throwing to second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers, the quarterback explained recently after signing a one-year deal with the franchise.
LSU product caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie campaign.
Nabers set the NFL rookie receiving record and the franchise’s receiving record with 109 grabs as part of a breakout campaign. He also became the youngest wide receiver with multiple touchdowns in a single game in league history and the fastest player to reach 100 career receptions. His instant stardom figures to give Wilson one of the most reliable targets in the league.
“I just turned on the film and watched this guy Malik Nabers, man,” Wilson said on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. “This dude is a superstar. I was watching the film before I tried to make a decision and trying to get a clear understanding of who the players are, this and that. Obviously, you see the highlights and everything else. But when you watch every single catch and every single rep and every play, you get to see the kind of player he is.”
The Giants selected Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he delivered on the massive expectations that followed him to the league. He earned a Pro Bowl selection at the end of a monstrous rookie year in which he broke multiple records despite missing two games with a concussion.
“Man, he’s dynamic,” said Wilson. “He touches the football, he gone. I remember watching this one clip — he caught this quick little screen against the Colts or whatever, a short little throw, and he took it to the house about 60-70 yards.
“And then I saw him against the Commanders catch a shallow cross,” Wilson continued. “He ran on third down and 7 and caught the shallow cross from left to right, hit the sideline, ran through a dude, got hit pretty hard, got back up, didn’t flinch and ran back to the huddle. His toughness, his ability.”
Wilson will be the fourth starting quarterback to suit up with Nabers, presuming he breaks the huddle in Week 1. The veteran signal-caller was part of an offseason overhaul of the Giants’ quarterback room, which also included the arrival of another experienced option in Jameis Winston and first-round pick Jaxson Dart.
The one-year deal includes $10.5 million guaranteed and could pay Wilson up to $21 million. The 36-year-old went 6-6 in his lone year in the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ starting lineup and had an up-and-down season, which ended with five consecutive losses.
