History of a 2013 Super Bowl Champion Mentoring Rookie Quarterbacks
Every quarterback has their story of where they came from and who has taught them what they know. There are a few NFL quarterbacks who have been mentored over the years by current starting New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson, who is entering his 14th season in the NFL. So far, anyone who has been under Wilson has come out better than ever. His reputation has grown from not just being a winner on the football field, but within all the locker rooms he has been to.
During his time in the NFL, Wilson has been a positive influence wherever he has gone. It has not just been within the quarterback room but with the rest of the team itself. Whether this former Super Bowl star was playing with the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos, or the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now the Giants, he has impacted nearly everyone he has come into contact with. Through his pregame preparation, consistent practice, mental toughness, and foundational habits, Wilson has shown his teammates how a team should be and how they should act.
There have been two young quarterbacks that Wilson has stepped into to show how to run the reins of a team over the past few years. Justin Fields was with the Steelers for a bit before he signed with one of Big Blue's biggest rivals, the New York Jets. The two had known each other for a while, and Wilson had always been reaching out and explaining to him different techniques to try and what to do. Sometimes it's just a regular conversation between the two. It turned Fields around on the football field between the last several seasons and last year, when the two were playing on the same team in Pittsburgh. Wilson was the starter, and Fields was the backup. However, when Fields got on the field after being under Wilson, he made things work better than they had been before.
This year, now that Wilson is a part of the Giants, the franchise selected Jaxson Dart in the first round of this year's draft. Wilson has openly framed himself to take Dart under him to show him what it’s like to be a starting quarterback and possibly the future Giants franchise quarterback. Dart will be sitting behind him and Jameis Winston to learn. Wilson wants him to know it's about modeling the mindset and the habits that he portrays on the field. Dart should be out on the field making things happen in no time if he works and spends some time with Wilson, just as Fields had in the past.
Wilson’s mentorship is not a side note; it’s part of the personality he has when he steps on the field as any team's starting quarterback. He just embraces the rookies at this point and leads the way. Wilson remains a quarterback who understands what it’s like to elevate others and also elevates himself. This season is going to be one of the best for him when it comes to mentoring.
