Steelers should enter the Russell Wilson sweepstakes if made available in 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers could go from one Super Bowl-winning quarterback to another if they are willing to throw their hat in the ring for Russell Wilson in 2022.

Since busting up a finger on his throwing hand in Week 5, Russell Wilson has lost four straight games (including the game he left early with the injury). This was the first time in his career that a Wilson-led Seattle Seahawks team lost four games in a row.

After his recent struggles, offseason trade talks unsurprisingly started to swirl. The 33-year-old quarterback has voiced his dissatisfaction with the team and is apparently open to a fresh start. ESPN recently suggested that this could be the end of an era in Seattle.

The question is whether or not the Seahawks are open to dealing him. With the way things have gone this season, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be — assuming they could get a good haul in exchange. Seattle is 3-8 this season. This is good for the second-worst record in the entire NFC.

With Wilson not getting any younger and the Seahawks in need of a rebuild, the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback could be on the trade block next offseason, but should the Steelers throw their hat in the ring for a shot at him?

Why Steelers should pursue Russell Wilson in 2022

From what I’ve seen around social media, the Steelers fanbase is really split on this decision whether or not to pursue Russell Wilson if he becomes available for trade. I can understand both sides of the argument.

On one hand, the Steelers would be getting a franchise quarterback who has been one of the top passers in the league for a decade. They could be getting a quality option for however many years he has left in the tank. On the other hand, Pittsburgh is starving for talent on their own roster and they would be forced to give up valuable draft capital for a quarterback who has probably already seen his best years.

Regardless, I think the Steelers would be foolish not to at least explore what Wilson would cost them via trade. While Pittsburgh does need to add talent along the offensive line, Wilson has been one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL since he’s been in the league — an area where Ben Roethlisberger has struggled for years.

Even in a down year this season, Wilson is averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger hasn’t averaged more than 7.6 yards per attempt in a season since 2015, via Pro Football Reference.

The fact of the matter is that having a quarterback like Wilson would be a vast improvement for a team really struggling on the offensive side of the ball. Still in the prime of his career at 33, Wilson would open Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl window for another 4-5 years and has the potential to bring this city another championship.

Making a blockbuster trade for a seven-time Pro Bowl quarterback is almost unheard of, but it’s something the Steelers must look into if Russell Wilson becomes available in 2022.