The future of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback position is uncertain, at least from an outsider’s perspective. Team president Art Rooney II and head coach Mike Tomlin have every reason to continue showing their support of QB Kenny Pickett as he enters his third season to keep all options open—and they have. That being said, they have been up front that 2024 is a big season for his career and that he will be challenged with competition. One name to consider could be Super Bowl-winning veteran QB Russell Wilson.
Former NFL QB Brady Quinn appeared on NFL on CBS’ Pick Six podcast recently and suggested Wilson, whose career has stalled in Denver, as a possible fit.
“One place, I think if you look at the tea leaves, could be the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Quinn said. “I know they drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round…but the fact they didn’t start him in the playoffs, they started Mason Rudolph—yeah, you can talk about it being the hot hand—but maybe they’ve already made their decision on [Pickett].”
We are at the point in the offseason where every veteran quarterback scheduled to become a free agent or anticipates being traded is being linked to the Steelers. It makes sense to a certain point as the Steelers feature a competitive defense with star power at every level and the offense has plenty of weapons to support an incoming quarterback.
Wilson is an interesting name for a lot of reasons. It was only two offseasons ago that Wilson was traded from the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster deal to the Denver Broncos. The trade involved multiple players swapped between the teams as well as two first-round, two second-round and a fourth-round draft pick given to Seattle. He was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the league and the Seahawks were compensated accordingly.
Wilson himself was also compensated accordingly as the Broncos gave him a five-year extension worth $245 million with $165 million guaranteed. Fast forward just two years, and Wilson has started 30 games with a record of 11-19.
His first season in Denver was a train wreck that led to an in-season firing of head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Sean Payton was hired last offseason and things got off to a rocky start pretty much immediately with Wilson having his personal QB coach barred from the team facility.
By the end of the 2023 season, Wilson was telling the media that he was receiving threats to renegotiate his contract or risk being benched. Understandably, the relationship there is probably past mending.
So why does Quinn think the 35-year-old Wilson is a good fit in Pittsburgh?
“They have weapons on the outside, their offensive line has improved, and they have a good defense,” Quinn said. “I think you put him in there with Mike Tomlin, who’s been a winner his entire career as a head coach, it’s a winning formula if you’re looking to revamp your career.”
With Wilson, one of the defining traits that led to a lot of his success in Seattle was his mobility. He was routinely able to escape pressure and extend plays with his legs before launching passes downfield. When it worked, it worked. But at his age — Wilson turns 36 in late November — does he still have that kind of capability?
His 2023 season was better than the year prior. He completed 297 passes on 447 attempts for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, though his adjusted net yards per passing attempt was near his career-low at 6.04.
He likely wouldn’t be expensive as the Broncos will still owe him a considerable amount of money from his previous contract should he be released. But it seems unlikely he would want to sign unless he is guaranteed to be the starter at this point in his career. If you believe Tomlin’s words, the starter is already on the roster.
