David Wilson.JPG

David Wilson will have neck surgery this offseason.

(John Munson/The Star-Ledger)

One of the last times David Wilson was seen in the Giants locker room, he tried to ease some of the uncertainty by making a joke about the herniated disk in his spine that would eventually force him to miss the remainder of his second season.

"I feel like none of our spines are lined up correctly," Wilson said with a smile. "We all got something here or there."

The truth was, and still is, that Wilson is battling a career-threatening injury. The Giants cannot say with any certainty that he’ll be back next season — or ever.

The Giants 2012 first-round draft pick will undergo a fusion of the vertebrae at the Hospital for Special Surgery on Jan. 16 in order to repair the herniated disk, the team revealed yesterday. Wilson, 22, will go from being one of the most animated, energetic players in football to one battling a delicate rehabilitation process. The team has not set a timetable for his recovery.

"You have to look at him differently, because he’s got the whole neck issue hovering over him right now," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said on WFAN yesterday. "So he’s got to come back and be healthy, number one. He’s planning to have surgery, and we’ll see how that comes out. Our medical staff feels like he’ll be ready to play this fall, but the neck and back — that’s pretty tricky. So you never know."

Although the Giants hope Wilson will return by "the fall,’’ they are making contingency plans, and owner John Mara said the team would not be averse to taking another running back in May’s NFL Draft.

Wilson, according to multiple people familiar with his decision making, plans to play next season. Whether or not he can get medical clearance will be a separate issue altogether.

This is the second time in as many seasons that the Giants are dealing with a serious surgical procedure for one of their star players. Jason Pierre-Paul underwent back surgery last summer and gave Reese a clear picture of just how serious the rehab process can be.

The defensive end finished the season admittedly not at 100 percent, and felt it could take him an entire offseason to return to form.

"Jason Pierre-Paul had a back (injury), and he was just a shell of what he was a couple years ago," Reese said. "So those things can be pretty tricky. So I think you can’t go into the season saying, ‘Well, David, he’ll be healthy and ready to go.’ We saw in the preseason a couple times he can be a dynamic player and he can be a dynamic kick returner and you can throw a short pass to him and he can make a big play with it. But right now, we’re just trying to get him healthy and get him back out there. That’s what’s most important for us right now, to get him healthy."

Neck injuries, though, represent the great unknown in the NFL. Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka was diagnosed with a similar condition and began preparing for life after football. Like Wilson, he was shut down in October but was able to play the following year. His prognosis became increasingly positive as the checkups went on. He was able to resume his career in February.

This will represent the wide range of emotions for Wilson and the Giants ahead.

"We’re hopeful that David will be able to play for us again next year," Mara said on WFAN. "Time will tell on that one."