“It Will Be Television History”: Emmanuel Acho Believes Russell Wilson to the Giants Will Be a Ratings Booster

Russell Wilson’s move to the New York Giants for one year, worth up to $21 million, stole the headlines yesterday. It’s a bargain for a team that was desperate at quarterback. But Emmanuel Acho believes there’s an added benefit to this move — for both the Giants and Wilson’s career — as the QB finally gets to play in a big media market.

First, we can’t overlook how big this acquisition is for the Giants. After years of experimenting with Daniel Jones and backup options, they are finally returning to a veteran presence.

The former Seahawk is a 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion. In fact, he won his only Lombardi Trophy at the Giants’ MetLife Stadium in 2013. However, Acho still feels the move is just as significant for Wilson himself. He believes Russ has never truly received this level of media attention. Let’s not forget, he played for Wisconsin and NC State in college. Then, in the NFL, he suited up for the Seahawks, Broncos, and Steelers.

Acho acknowledged that while Wilson’s former teams are historic franchises, they aren’t media powerhouses like the New York Giants. In the Big Apple, every little detail about a sports team makes headlines. And with someone like Wilson at the helm, regular games will become must-watch TV — something that hasn’t been the case since Eli Manning hung up his cleats in 2020.

“I love aspects of Russell Wilson to the Giants. We’ve never seen Russell Wilson play for a big-time market,” Acho boldly said on an episode of The Facility.

“He’s played for big franchises, but he’s never been in a top-10 media market… It will be television history. It will be something we talk about, regardless. Think about how much we talked about Daniel Jones.”

It’s an interesting thing for Acho to point out. In hindsight, Russ has never played for a major media market team. But has it mattered? He’s still become a polarizing figure, regardless. It’s quite puzzling why Acho thinks this will be “television history.” Seems like a bit of an overreaction. 

Nevertheless, Acho pressed on. “Russ finally gets to play for a Top 10 media market. You now get the attention your Hall of Fame career deserves.”

Again, a bit of an overreaction from Acho here. Russell is not a Hall of Famer if his career ended today. He has an excellent resume and has had a great career, but as of now, he comes up just short in Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor.

The average QB Hall of Famer finishes their career with a 103.58 rating. Russ, right now, is at 93.65. If he wants to get inducted and earn his gold jacket, he’s going to have to put up one more excellent statistical season and possibly win a playoff game or two. 

Nonetheless, it is somewhat exciting that Russ is in a top media market now. Acho is correct when he says that he’s a polarizing figure. On the field, Russell used to be elite. But he’s turned into more of a game manager now. Off the field, though, he’s always been viewed as a bit of a cornball. 

Some of the most over-the-top quotes from Russ off the field have only added to his reputation for being cheesy. He said once that God told him to help keep his wife “pure.” He’s also claimed to use fancy water to “cure” his concussions.

He made a Twitter post in 2018, where he coined himself as “Mr. Unlimited,” which fans still make fun of today. In 2021, he warmed up on the field before a game, acting like he was going to play but wasn’t. Do we need to keep going?

Let’s keep going just for fun. Remember “Broncos country, let’s ride”? Or “Dangeruss”? This guy is the epitome of an out-of-touch personality. He’s an amazing football player at times, but it’s also hilarious how unaware he is of how he comes off to people.

So maybe Russell will be a ratings booster for the Giants, as Acho says. But it might be more for the worse than for the better. We’ll just have to wait and see.