Former Super Bowl winning quarterback Russell Wilson is reportedly headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a 1 year deal according to sources.
Wilson, who was told by the Denver Broncos last week that he would be released, will sign a veteran’s minimum $1.2M contract with the Steelers, while the Broncos will still be on the hook for his remaining $37.8M buyout. Because the new league year does not begin until Wednesday, March 13th, the deal cannot be made official as of yet.
The 35 year old QB went 11-19 during his time in the mile high city, and threw for 3,070 yards with 26 TDs and 8 INTs in 2023. He was acquired by the team in a blockbuster trade with Seattle which saw the Broncos send 3 roster players and 4 draft picks out west, before signing him to a 5 year, $242.6M extension.
However with the team headed in a new direction, Denver will now be on the hook for a record setting $85M in dead cap money over the next two seasons. Enter Pittsburgh.
With Kenny Pickett set to enter his 3rd NFL season, his production under centre has largely been a mixed bag. Some of that blame can be placed on former offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s conservative play calling, ultimately leading to a changing of the guard at the OC position.
Nevertheless, questions surrounding Pickett’s arm talent persist, not to mention his durability as the former Pitt standout has missed chunks of time in both of his first 2 seasons. Neither Mason Rudolph, nor Mitch Trubisky showed enough promise to earn the starting position themselves, which is where the front office hopes that Wilson and his 9 Pro Bowl appearances can step in.
Wilson saw a cavalcade of injuries to his receiver group during his time in Denver, as well as major turn over amongst the coaching staff. While his on field play can justifiably be questioned, there exists a world in which joining a stable franchise could help resurrect his career. And amongst NFL franchises, they don’t come much more stable than Mike Tomlin & Co.
Which begs the question of where Wilson will ultimately fit into the Steelers plans for 2024 and beyond. With a 1 year veteran minimum deal in place, the club has no financial commitment to keep the veteran QB beyond this year. The front office is essentially getting a free look at the former Seahawk, while adding some veteran leadership to their quarterback room.
Pittsburgh has publicly backed Pickett several times over the last two seasons, with former quarterback turned analyst Terry Bradshaw recently telling Rich Eisen why he wouldn’t trade for Bears QB Justin Fields if the opportunity presented itself.
“You don’t need Fields,” Bradshaw said. “Stay with what you got. Just build [Pickett] up. Get him another receiver. Give him an explosive tight end. Give him another tackle, give him a guard. Have the ability to protect him. And give him guys on the outside. This is a passing league, now. Get him people out there that can run and catch the football that are smart.”
“That’s their guy. There’s probably going to be a lot of negative [said] about him, but that’s the guy I would go with.”
A message which is likely to be echoed by Pittsburgh’s front office this week. Pickett will continue to be the presumed starter until further notice. However, that kind of lip service generally is only as good as the game film and training camp battles allows it to be.
Should Wilson come in and impress in his debut season with the black and gold, there’s very much a world in which his stay in Pittsburgh is extended beyond his 1 year deal.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.