The Pittsburgh Steelers have made their long-awaited decision at the quarterback position. After months of speculation as to which direction this team could go in 2024, Adam Schefter of ESPN announced that the Steelers plan to ink a deal with veteran Russell Wilson.
Schefter reports that this is a 'team-friendly' one-year deal, though the exact details of his contract have not yet been released.
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
Despite a report from Mike DeFabo of The Athletic that claimed the Steelers were 'not interested' in signing Wilson, this is the quarterback move that Pittsburgh's front office ultimately went with. The cheap price tag was likely a driving factor.
Wilson has been the hottest name connected with the Steelers in the week prior to signing with the team. Before that, Justin Fields trade rumors were swirling. In the end, however, it's Wilson that will wear the Black and Gold in 2024.
What are the Steelers getting in Russell Wilson?
For those expecting Wilson to immediately vault the Pittsburgh Steelers into Super Bowl contention, you might not want to hold your breath. Though he has a decorated reputation as a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Wilson has three of his worst NFL seasons since 2021, and there's no guarantee that the 35-year-old will turn things around on his third NFL team.
Last year, Wilson's numbers looked good on paper. In 15 games, he recorded 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions to go with 7.2 adjusted yards per attempt and a 98.0 passer rating, per Pro Football Reference. However, these numbers don't match the film last year, as much of this came in garbage time, and Wilson was benched late in the season.
The biggest thing to consider here is that The Broncos are paying $38 million of his salary not to have him on the team in 2024 -- which tells you exactly how good Denver's front office thought he was during his brief two-year tenure with the team.
There is hope for Wilson yet. The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback joins Arthur Smith's offense where he will more or less be asked to manage the game. If Pittsburgh can run the ball effectively and play great defense, they will have a chance to be a playoff team with Wilson at the helm.
The bar was low with Kenny Pickett, and Steelers fans feared wasting another season with a quarterback who has a career passer rating of 78.8 and the lowest touchdown rate of any quarterback since the NFL merger.
Wilson might not be the answer at quarterback that every fan was hoping for, but he's the one we are getting in 2024. Let's hope he's enough to give Pittsburgh a chance.