Russell Wilson's visit with Pittsburgh proves the Steelers weren't being honest

It's happening. On Friday morning, Russell Wilson was spotted in Newark catching a flight to Pittsburgh to visit the Steelers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported. One day earlier, Gerry Dulac of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that Wilson expressed interest in joining the Steelers and that the feeling was mutual.

Wilson's official visit with Pittsburgh's brass shows the reality of the situation. If this meeting goes well, Wilson could be the next quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There's no doubt that Mike Tomlin is going to be enthralled with his resume. Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback with numerous playoff wins and a Super Bowl ring. Though he's now several years removed from any sort of real success, his reputation and career record will make him enticing to Tomlin and the front office.

There's just one question: is Russell Wilson a fit in Pittsburgh?

Everything we heard from Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan this offseason screamed that Kenny Pickett is their guy for the 2024 season. Whether we agreed with them or not, they both gave glowing endorsements for the former 2022 first-round pick.

Recent reports also suggested that the Steelers had 'no interest' in signing Wilson; nor were they pursuing Justin Fields in a trade or players like Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield in free agency.

So what are we supposed to believe?

Steelers' brass wasn't being honest with fans

Russell Wilson doesn't want to be a backup quarterback. That we know for sure. There were reports that the veteran quarterback may even take a veteran minimum salary this year as long as he can start for another football team.

The Steelers know this, which makes his fit with the team head-scratching. That is unless they weren't being honest in their comments regarding Kenny Pickett.

Despite claiming that their starting quarterback for the 2024 season is already on the roster, I would like to think that this was more of a PR move than an actual endorsement for Pickett. It has been easy to see that Pickett was among the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two seasons -- regardless of what his 14-10 record as a starter might suggest.

Though Pittsburgh was squeaking out close games, it's hard to sustain success with a QB who has a 78.8 career passer rating and whose offense scored just 16.9 points per game during the 2023 season. A change of scenery with Arthur Smith could help, but with such a sluggish start to his career, it's hard to imagine that a QB who averages 179.0 passing yards per game with the lowest touchdown rate since the NFL merger suddenly turning things around as a 26-year-old in Year 3.

If there was a shot at upgrading the most important position in sports, I would love to believe that Tomlin and Khan are all for it. Russell Wilson isn't going to ink a deal with a team knowing that he's a backup.

This visit with Wilson and the Steelers is very interesting, and it likely means that Tomlin and Khan weren't being honest with their comments about Kenny Pickett.