The clocks weren’t the only things to take a step forward on Sunday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers made a move to bolster their quarterback room. After a short-lived stint in unrestricted free agency, former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has found his new NFL home.
Wilson will be headed to the Steel City on a one-year, veteran minimum contract to compete with former first round selection Kenny Pickett. The Steelers are absolutely taking advantage of the fact the Broncos are financially on the hook for the absurd contract extension they granted Wilson before he even took one snap with them.
Russell Wilson will now serve as competitor for Kenny Pickett in one of the most fascinating camp battles. He’ll cost Pittsburgh $1.2M, potentially being one of the best values. https://t.co/jYnhpdQezK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024
Nine-time Pro-Bowl QB and former Super-Bowl champ Russell Wilson plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per league sources. Wilson will sign a team-friendly, one-year deal in which the Broncos will wind up paying $38 million of his salary while Wilson wears the black and… pic.twitter.com/eqQC8w0tIK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
Ever since it became evident the Broncos would be moving on from Wilson, the Steelers always seemed like the natural fit. Pittsburgh is a defense-focused team that needs its quarterback to be efficient, mistake free, but give just enough juice to move the ball.
Gee, this sure sounds a lot like the situation Wilson was in during the early Seahawks years.
Speaking of Seattle, the 12th Man will surely not be thrilled at the sight of the best quarterback in franchise history taking snaps for the hated Steelers. The pain Pittsburgh (and the officials) caused the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL has not been forgotten, nor will it any time soon. With this in mind, it is hard to imagine there will be many Seattle fans deciding to resume rooting for Wilson with him now a member of the Steelers.
Still, Pittsburgh does seem like the place for Wilson to attempt to fix his heavily damaged legacy. The Steelers are a model of consistency, and managed to make the playoffs with a ragtag team of quarterbacks last year. Should Wilson be able to replicate his 2023 season (26 touchdowns against eight interceptions) the Wisconsin Badger standout just might give Pittsburgh a boost at the most important position in sports since the departure of Big Ben Roethlisberger.
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