why is russell wilson not playing

Russell Wilson is not playing because he has been benched by the New York Giants due to multiple underwhelming performances early in the 2025 NFL season. Despite being healthy, Wilson was made inactive by the coaching staff for football reasons after the Giants started the season with four straight losses while he was the starter. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart replaced Wilson in Week 4 and led the team to their first win of the season, maintaining the starting role since then. Wilson has been benched for three consecutive games, and his future as starter with the Giants is uncertain, with trade rumors also circulating. This benching is the first time in his career Wilson has lost the starting job due to performance issues rather than injury.