Kickoff Weekend is always a reminder that every career has a starting point.

Every player came from somewhere. Every player has a journey. And every player has a story to tell the grandkids about how it all began.

Or, in this case, a story to tell Giants.com …

QB Russell Wilson

The 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback is set to make his 200^th regular-season start on Sunday. His first was in his NFL debut on Sept. 9, 2012. The rookie third-round draft pick worked his way up the depth chart and started the Seahawks' season opener on the road against the Cardinals. Seattle took a lead midway through the fourth quarter but ultimately fell by four points. However, Wilson went on to post an 11-5 record that season as a starter as the Seahawks made it to the second round of the playoffs. The rest is history.

"I just remember telling myself, 'Man, it's 100 yards. It's 53 1/3 [feet wide]. I've done this before.' I remember my first touchdown to Sidney Rice. It was a sweet catch by him. I threw it in the back of the end zone. It was the first touchdown of my career. You just remember that first touchdown. I still have that ball all painted up and signed. That was a pretty cool moment."

Advice to rookie self: "Keep believing and keep going."

G Jon Runyan

The Packers' rookie sixth-round pick thought he would get his feet wet with a handful of snaps on the field goal unit in his debut on Sept. 13, 2020 at Minnesota. Then one guard went down. Then another. Making it even stranger, Runyan went from playing in front of 110,000 fans at Michigan's Big House to none in a 2020 season unlike any other.

"Super weird. The weirdest part was it was the first year in a long time when there was no preseason. I remember I reported to camp in July and you were pretty much in training camp all the way to that first week. You had scrimmages. One of our tackles was hurt, so we had one of our backup tackles in. We went into that season and I was probably like the last guy to dress. You dress eight O-linemen and I was like the last guy to dress and ended up losing one of our starting guards in the first quarter. The backup guard goes in. I'm like, oh s---, I'm already one play away now from really getting in there. Get to the third quarter and then another one of our guards goes down and we only have another tackle dressed. So, I get thrown in there in my first ever NFL game dressing. No preseason. Not expecting it. I was expecting just to get those field goal reps. I get thrown in there and thank God that I was playing next to two All-Pros and there were no fans in the stands. That made it a lot easier. I think we were down by four when I went in there and ended up pulling out the win later on. It was a great feeling. I feel like my head was spinning the whole time, but I was playing next to [Corey] Linsley and David Bakhtiari, which made it a little bit easier. They pumped in noise, but it was so minimal. Our coaches were able to – you'd call two plays in the huddle and they were able to tell us to can it to the next play from all the way on the sideline. There was a little bit of noise, but it was just kind of white noise in the background. You could hear everything. You could hear what coaches on the other side were saying."

Advice to rookie self: "Don't make it bigger than what it is. I was going through a position change coming from playing tackle. It's what I trained for. It's what I've done my whole life. Once I got in there, it didn't feel much different. But when they called my name, I was kind of like, oh s---, here we go. Don't make it bigger than it was. Do what you've been trained to do."

S Jevón Holland

A second-round pick out of Oregon, Holland kicked off his career on Sept. 12, 2021 at Gillette Stadium, where the Dolphins had lost 11 of their past 12 games against the Patriots. They came out victorious.

"I was excited. I remember before the game, after the national anthem and everyone was cheering, I looked up. I'm at Gillette Stadium. I looked up and it was, man, I'm really in it. I'm really in the league. This is crazy. I'm really playing. I didn't start that game. Jason McCourty and Eric Rowe did. I was kind of just chilling and then I got in and Jakobi Meyers caught an over route and I was running after him and got that tackle. I kind of whiffed but he tripped over me. Then Jonnu [Smith] got a screen and I shot it and I flipped him and Byron Jones punched the ball out. It was a big play. Initially I thought I [forced it]. But yeah, that was the highlight of my first game. It was just feeling good. We won that game and then the next seven straight, we lost. We were in London, we lost to the Jaguars, we lost to the Falcons. Then we ended up winning [seven] straight after that. It was a rollercoaster of a season. Highs and lows, highs and lows. It was definitely a blast, though."

Advice to rookie self: "I honestly wouldn't tell myself anything. I wouldn't have wanted to know any secrets. It's all about the journey, really. Figuring everything out. Just being a rookie and going through the rookie struggles."

CB Paulson Adebo

The Saints' third-round pick drew Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams for his first NFL matchup in the 2021 season opener. The Stanford product rose to the challenge, intercepting the future Hall of Famer in the third quarter of a 38-3 victory. New Orleans' quarterback that day was none other than Jameis Winston, who threw five touchdowns.

"Me and Jameis go way back. I remember just being really excited to start my NFL career. I was able to get an interception off Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks ever. The play was really a credit to the D-line. They kind of got to the quarterback, hit him, and then he tried to flip it out late and I was in a good position. I saw the ball and caught it. It was a drag route. That was a cool experience to happen in your first NFL game. So, I was just excited to compete. I was going up against Davante Adams, who is one of the great receivers. It was a good introduction and also a reminder because you're going up against two really, really elite guys and you're holding your own. It's just a good, oh yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be. It was good to go up against them and we ended up beating them."

Advice to rookie self: "I'd say to all rookies just try to find your routine as quickly as possible. This is a league that has a long season. You want to make sure you have a clear-cut routine of what you do and what your process is. Find an old guy who's done it properly for a long time and don't be shy about asking questions."

OLB Brian Burns

As the 16^th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Burns started Week 1 for the Carolina Panthers at home against the Los Angeles Rams, who were fresh off a run to Super Bowl LIII. His assignment? Four-time Pro Bowl tackle Andrew Whitworth, who at the time had 209 NFL starts under his belt compared to Burns' zero. Nevertheless, Burns, who was flanked by veterans like Luke Kuechly, Gerald McCoy, and Dontari Poe, went on to record two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.

"I was nervous, for sure. I just remember the vets coming to me and telling me, 'Bro, it's football at the end of the day. Don't overthink it. Just know what to do, where to be, and everything else will play out and your instincts will take over.' I was going against a super vet in Whitworth. It was a tough matchup, but I tried my best. I was able to do some things. I had a tackle on [wide receiver] Robert Woods. It was a jet sweep they tried to get me with, and it was a tackle in the backfield. It was my first big play in the league."

Advice to rookie self: "On the serious note, I'd probably tell myself to really cut loose. I felt like I was playing a little uptight despite what my vets had told me. On a playful tip, have a celebration ready for when you make a play. I didn't have anything. I had the Spider-Man stuff, but I didn't do it because I was blanked out."

OL Jermaine Eluemunor

The first football game Jermaine Eluemunor ever saw was the NFL's debut in London, where the Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13-10, on a soggy pitch at Wembley Stadium. It was late October of 2007 and Eluemunor, who had spent his life in England up to that point, was about to turn 13. Ten years later, he made his NFL debut for the Ravens against the Jaguars at none other than Wembley Stadium.

"It was the first time I actually had people cheer for me as soon as they saw me running on the field. I still have the tickets from that game. I'll never, ever forget that. That's when they had that D-line where they were going by "Sacksonville" with Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Yannick Ngakoue and Dante Fowler, Jr. So they were going crazy, and that was my first ever NFL experience and my first snap was Calais Campbell over me in the three-tech and then the second time it was a pull-and-play where I had to pull on Myles Jack and I smacked him. It was a good play, but we ended up losing that game 44-7. We got smacked. It was bad. But just having my family, everything leading up to it, I think I was one of the first English players to come back home and play in England. And just for that to be my first ever game too, you couldn't write it up any better. I never, ever dreamed that would happen."

Advice to rookie self: "Just keep working. Don't be lazy because lazy guys don't make it in this league. I've been in it for eight years now. You've got to work hard. Don't believe people that say talent can take you further than work ethic because work ethic is going to take you as far as you want."

OT Andrew Thomas

Everything is new for a rookie, but 2020 took it to a new level. The COVID-19 pandemic forced NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to announce draft picks from his basement, with Thomas going fourth overall to the Giants. That set the tone for the season, which began under the lights at MetLife Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there were no fans in the stands when just a few months earlier Thomas had been playing in front of 90,000 people at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

"It was nuts. We didn't have any OTAs. I just remember being out there going against the Steelers, they have a great front, and I could hear people talking on the other sideline because there were no fans in the building. But I was obviously excited to start my NFL career. We didn't win that game, but I thought I played OK. It was definitely an exciting time. Leading up to it, [I got nerves], but I didn't get the same feel because I went to Georgia, fans are going crazy. I go to MetLife for the first time and there are no fans. It was a little weird, but I definitely was excited to be out there."

Advice to rookie self: "It's going to work out. That's what I would say. It's going to work out."

S Dane Belton

A fourth-round pick in 2022, Belton's debut could not have started any better. He recovered a Chuba Hubbard fumble that was forced by Carter Coughlin on the opening kickoff of the Giants' home opener – a 19-16 victory over the Panthers. But Belton had to wait a week.

"High emotions for sure. I had missed the first game because of the collarbone [injury] situation, so being able to just come in the next game and knowing that I had a role, and then for that to be the first play. I didn't do anything special. It just ended up that way. People make plays. Carter made a play, and I was just in the right spot at the right time. Being able to get that turnover and set up points was dope. The environment, too, the crowd was going crazy. I couldn't imagine it starting any better unless it was like a pick-six or something. I kept the ball. When I went back to the sideline, everyone was hyped, especially since it was the start of the game."

Advice to rookie self: "Be in the moment. Be smart. Some things you'd go back and want to make different decisions, but at the end of the day, live in the moment and understand that you're blessed to be where you are and keep going."

WR Darius Slayton

After missing the first two weeks with a hamstring injury, the fifth-round pick caught three passes for 82 yards, including a 21-yarder to jumpstart the game-winning drive at Tampa Bay in 2019.

"I remember I was nervous because I didn't practice very much or play very much in the preseason, so that game was my first real, live NFL action. I remember Shep (Sterling Shepard) and some of the other older guys and I just fed off their confidence going into the game. And it helped me stay calm. It was a crazy finish for sure."

Advice to rookie self: "Be yourself. Do what got you there. You kind of forget sometimes that you get to the NFL because you did something special. Sometimes you can get to this level, where there's really good players, and sometimes maybe you think you're not as good or this doesn't work or that doesn't work. But at the end of the day, as long as you're yourself and do what got you here, you're going to be OK."

RB Devin Singletary

Singletary arrived in Buffalo as a third-round pick in 2019, a year after Brian Daboll joined the Bills as offensive coordinator. With his future head coach calling plays, Singletary had 70 rushing yards on just four carries in addition to five catches for 28 yards in a 17-16 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. It didn't start great for the rookie, though.

"The first play I touched the ball, I was on the outside at receiver and I came and got a screen pass and dropped it. I dropped it. Then I'm like, all right, let's go. After that, it was like, OK, it's time to tighten up. It was up from there. I remember Daboll was just a dog. You could feel his energy. We were feeding off his energy. He's still the same fearless guy when it comes to play-calling. He just believed in us a lot, for real."

Advice to rookie self: "After the first series, you get all the nervousness out, all that stuff. Then you're like, I'm doing this for real."

LB Bobby Okereke

The California native and Stanford product made his 2019 debut for the Colts in Los Angeles against the Chargers, who won in overtime.

"At their home but it was home for me back in Orange County. It was fun. I had a bunch of my family there, and it was thrilling just to be out there, playing Philip Rivers, playing big-time guys like Austin Ekeler, it was just a very exciting time for me. My first live energy. Watching the film, I'm a lot better football player now than I was then, but it was fun. It's an adjustment, especially for linebackers. Speed of the game is pretty normal, but the size of the offensive linemen is probably the biggest adjustment. It's an acclimation period."

Advice to rookie self: "Maybe condition a little bit more so you're in shape and you don't get caught tired."

LS Casey Kreiter

Undrafted out of Iowa, Kreiter was cut at the end of training camp in each of his first two years by the Cowboys. The third time was the charm. The defending champion Broncos gave him a chance in 2016, and Kreiter made his debut in the Super Bowl 50 rematch against the Panthers in Week 1.

"Other than maybe the [Giants'] playoff game in Minnesota [two years ago], that was the loudest stadium environment I have been in. I missed Peyton Manning by a year, but he walked out with the Super Bowl trophy. It was the year after the Broncos won, and it was a rematch against the Panthers. Graham [Gano] was actually on the team, so it was the first time I met him. So Peyton walked out with the trophy, he handed it to John Elway on the field, and that was a moment where I was like, 'Whoa, I'm here. This is different than preseason.' At that point in my career, I was at a point where if I was done with football, I was OK with it. It was literally just go play the best as I can. If it doesn't work out, I was going to go teach high school science, raise a family, and be happy with it. Luckily, and I've said it, without getting cut the two times before that, I don't know if I was ready to play in the NFL. I had my 'Welcome to the NFL' moment later that year when we played the Texans and they used their front seven on defense for punt rush. I remember we broke the huddle, I look to my right, the right A-gap was J.J. Watt. The left A-gap was Jadeveon Clowney. Hey, if we can get through this game OK, I think we'll be all right."

Advice to rookie self: "Just enjoy it. I had football taken away from me twice before I actually got to play in a regular-season game. I learned that lesson the hard way. But remind yourself it's a game. [Punter] Jamie [Gillan] and I spend time playing catch pre-game three hours before the game like we're little kids. Just remind ourselves it's a game because at the end of the day, this is a job and a super important job that we all take seriously, but we're playing a game that we've loved since we were kids. It's a good reminder of hey, this is stressful, it's important, but it's also a game you really love. Don't forget that."

K Graham Gano

The longest-tenured NFL player currently on the roster, Gano was perfect in his debut on Dec. 13, 2019, when he made two field goals and four extra points for Washington in a 34-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

"My favorite kicker as a kid, being a Florida State fan, was Sebastian Janikowski. I was kicking against him that day. I had met him when I was in college. It was pretty cool, pretty neat. I had always heard that the Raiders fans were crazy and it was more of a fun atmosphere than anything. I had a great time. The first field goal was from 46 yards, and I was so pumped up to hit that. It was a long year bouncing from Florida State to Baltimore to the UFL then to Washington. It was an exciting memory. I'm definitely blessed to be able to get that chance and get my career started. I had a tackle that day too on kickoff. I don't know if they gave me credit for it or not, but it was a fun game. I definitely celebrated too hard on the first field goal, but it was a lifelong dream come true."

Advice to rookie self: "Take it in. The first few years I didn't really take a second each game to kind of enjoy the moment and look around and just realize I'm very blessed to get to be able to play a sport for a living. That's something my wife reminded me of as the years went on. She's like, 'Make sure you take your time to take it in.' So I try to do that every game. Just look around and realize how fortunate I am to still be playing."

DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches

"Nacho" was inactive for the first six weeks of his rookie season in 2015 with the Chiefs – or so he thought. As it turned out, it was just five.

"I was supposed to be inactive for [Week 6 at Minnesota] so I did my normal ritual. I walked around outside with my headphones on, eating, drinking a lot of Gatorade. Next thing you know I come into my locker and my pads have my jersey on it and my helmet is out and my cleats are out. I'm like, 'Wait a minute, what happened?' They come to me and they're like, 'Yeah, you're playing. [Dontari Poe] got hurt.' It was literally seconds before the D-line went out. All I could think about was all that food I just ate this morning and shouldn't have ate it. That was my last time doing that. A lot of things went through my mind, but at the same time I was still ready. It was so surreal getting out there. My first play, I remember I was the nose, and it was a lead [run] right to me, Adrian Peterson coming down the pike and just coming off that block and making that first tackle, it took all the scare out of it. As long as you get that first contact out of the way, then after that, shoot, 10 years later and we're here. Something worked."

Advice to rookie self: "Always prepare as a starter. Never get caught looking at a role as practice squad player or whatever. Never take your foot off the gas. Be ready. I think that was why I was able to respond so well. I tell these guys, because they think I'm lying, bro, you never know what can happen at any point. Don't get rocked to sleep."

WR Gunner Olszewski

Undrafted out of Bemidji State University in Northern Minnesota, the Texas native made his name with the Patriots in 2019, the year after Tom Brady won his final Super Bowl with the team. The reigning champions opened in primetime against the Steelers.

"Sunday Night Football. Man, it was cool. My dad [Eric] actually told me, he's like, 'Do me a favor, before the game starts, just look around and soak it all up.' During the national anthem, I just took a second to look up. It's an NFL stadium, opening night, Sunday Night Football, it was really cool. I'll never forget it. The first punt was a fair catch. I'm at my best when I'm not thinking at all, so try to just not think. I don't like fair catching, but I kind of had to. Then I popped a 20-yarder on my second one. The corners blocked the gunners well, and I went right up the middle. It was awesome. I didn't think about my journey right then because the NFL is so right now. Everybody in this locker room has a story, but we're all trying to win a game. You just focus on whatever is next and come together as a team. Everybody's got a story. Everybody came from somewhere. You're in the NFL. You're coming together for the common team. After the season I always kind of look at like, 'Wow, I just played my fifth NFL season. That's pretty cool.'

Advice to rookie self: "Just shut up and listen to the vets, like I did. Just shut up and pay attention and learn and play mistake-free football. Not that you're not going to make a mistake, but play like you're never scared to."

LB Micah McFadden

Like their fist-year head coach, the 2022 rookie class had a memorable debut in Nashville, where they played for the win.

"It was crazy. I remember specifically in the linebacker room we kind of had some changes going on during training camp that year. The week before the game, I had a meeting with Dabs and [defensive coordinator] Wink [Martindale] at the time and they were just like, 'You've shown enough. You'll play a little bit of defense and obviously special teams in this game.' That's exhilarating knowing you'll probably get some defensive snaps. It was really exciting and then to get to run out of the tunnel and ultimately get the win – I had a bunch of family and friends at that game. A lot of people flew up for that one. Just the atmosphere, the start of the season, obviously you're really nervous, but it culminates into excitement once you get out there and start playing. My first play was on kickoff return and they just kicked it out the back [of the end zone] and I was like thank God because I didn't have to do anything. Then I remember soon after that I got in on defense and just ran and probably fell and didn't do anything. I'm sure I messed up quite a bit, but I don't think I got got, which was good. I was probably ducking and diving out of the way for most of them. It was really cool. Everybody wants to get to the league, but just to have that one opportunity to run out on the field, it made everything worth it. Just to say I was one of the guys who got to play in a regular-season game. It was really honoring. It was exciting for sure.

Advice to rookie self: "Just breathe. Probably just take a breath. Don't overthink it. Go out there and do what you do. Don't try to be quote-unquote correct all the time. Don't worry too much about messing up. Just go out there and fly around and play fast because usually when you do that, you'll be in the right spot and you'll make a play. I would just say don't think and breathe."

TE Daniel Bellinger

Another member of the 2022 draft class, Bellinger started in a debut to remember for the whole team.

"It's funny, my position coach [Tim Kelly] was the [passing game coordinator] during that game for the Titans. That was a rollercoaster of a game. We hit a few big plays. It was an up-and-down game, but there was a lot of energy. It was great to come out with a win, I'll tell you that much. I tried to [take it all in], but my head was kind of spinning super fast, so I was just trying to stay focused. I'll always remember Chris Myarick, I was supposed to run in. He scored the go-ahead touchdown and then Saquon scored the two-point conversion. I was supposed to go in for the play that Myarick scored but he was in for it. I was just like, 'Please catch it, please catch it.' It felt like the ball was in the air forever, but he caught it and everything was super hyped up. It was just a lot of energy and spinning emotions in my head. Resiliency is the one word I could use, that whole season really. There were a lot times when it could have easily gone the other way where it was a one-score game and we ended up coming out on top of those games. We've just got to find a way to do the same thing."

Advice to rookie self: "Take it in. Slow it down. Slow down the game in my head and just enjoy it knowing that this is my first game. You can only have one first game. Enjoy it more."