Russell Wilson Pushes ‘Diva’ DK Metcalf Aside & Spills Secrets on Malik Nabers After Confirming Reason For Giants Move

In 2020, DK Metcalf and Russell Wilson didn’t just score touchdowns; they scored a friendship. A brotherhood. And then they created history together. It all started with an off-season trip to the Baja Peninsula. When Metcalf revealed, “Nah, I’ll just sit on the side. I can’t swim.” But Russ didn’t take no for an answer and insisted on teaching him. A four-hour bonding session that started out as a straightforward swimming instruction actually served to build a relationship. “We just kind of slowly started, and next thing you know…he did not want to get out. I was like, ‘Bro, we’ve got to get lunch … C’mon, let’s go.’ … Then we ended up ordering lunch at the pool,” Russ said.

And it showed. The effort paid off that summer when DK broke Steve Largent’s 35-year-old team record with 1,303 receiving yards. And Wilson launched 40 touchdown passes, 10 of which reached Metcalf. Seattle scored more points than in any previous season and finished 12–4. For Wilson, it wasn’t just about stats, it was about trust and the bond. Wilson said at the time, “He’s like a little brother to me. We’re so close… I think what’s really important to him, the same things are really important to me, faith and family and all those things.”

Fast forward to 2025, and the tone has shifted. The bromance has turned into brutal honesty with age. When Wilson joined Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, he didn’t hold back, even though he is now several franchises away from his Seahawks glory days. Carmelo said, setting the stage with a well-worn cliché, “We had a slew of wide receivers sit on that couch… and the topic of the discussion is why receivers are divas.” And he clarified that he’s not the one calling them that, the tag is self-proclaimed. Russell Wilson replied before Carmelo could finish, “They all want the ball.” But then came the tea.

Because Russ then name-dropped everyone. DK Metcalf, Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, George Pickens, and Malik Nabers. The common denominator? Each of them wants a piece of the limelight, and they are all explosive wide receivers.“You want them to get the ball as a quarterback. Like at the end of the day, the more I could defeat Malik, the better we’re going to be,” said Russ. “Because he gonna make plays like that…he may catch that little six-yard route and all of a sudden it’s balls in the end zone and just like that, that explosive play changed the game.”

But Wilson didn’t stop there. He spilled the secrets on the “diva” behavior. And they were two straightforward reasons: “The reason why they want the ball is two things, number one is because they want to win and number two cuz the money.” DK wasn’t the target of this casual remark. In fact, it almost seemed as though Russ was happy to avoid talking about DK altogether. His words were all but a subtle caution to Nabers, who recently finished an incredible rookie season with 109 receptions, 1,204 yards, and seven touchdowns. But Wilson wasn’t just identifying the diva mindset, he was also placing a wager on the next one.

Russell Wilson’s leap of faith in the Giants’ new era

After making stops in Pittsburgh and Denver, why did Russell Wilson decide to join the Giants? Wilson finally gave a definitive response on the same show, and it had nothing to do with Broadway lights or a new beginning. It was about Malik Nabers. “I just turned on the film and watching this guy Malik Nabers, man, this dude’s a superstar,” he said. “I saw him, I was watching the film and just before I tried to make decisions, try to get a clear understanding of who the players are…He touches that football, he gone.”

Wilson saw a playmaker who was raw, dynamic, and capable of converting slants into six points—a reflection of his early Seattle days. And this time, he wanted to be there before the breakout. Add in head coach Brian Daboll and the decision made itself. “I really liked [Brian] Daboll too…I actually came out here last year before I signed with Pittsburgh last time too, and I just had a great appreciation of his mind for the game and how he saw the game.”

But besides all that, Wilson said he’s just excited to be with the Giants. And also indirectly said that he doesn’t avoid challenges, “I was just excited because, for me, New York and this opportunity here to play here, the world’s biggest market, the toughest, one of the toughest divisions in football, a lot of odds against you.” Odds, indeed. The Giants haven’t made the playoffs more than twice since their 2011 Super Bowl win.

And, Wilson now shares a quarterback room with first-round pick Jaxson Dart, Tommy DeVito, and Jameis Winston. But the way he sees it, the squad is ready to compete. He’s all in on the diva wide receiver vibes as long as it produces results he desires.

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