Buckle up for a long, slow offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers filled with endless talk about Quarterback X, Y or Z as options to potentially fix the issue in the Steel City.
One day, it’s Kirk Cousins in free agency. The next, it’s trading for Justin Fields. Some days, it’s signing Jimmy Garoppolo, and other days it’s going the route of drafting another quarterback. Even signing veteran Russell Wilson has been sprinkled in there as well.
For Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame, signing Wilson is the one move the Steelers need to make this offseason.
In a piece highlighting one move to make for each team in the AFC North, Verderame highlighted Wilson for the Steelers, assuming the Denver Broncos ultimately cut ties with him, making him a free agent.
“The Steelers are projected to be over the cap, and therefore have some tough decisions ahead. One of the easiest should be signing Wilson once the Denver Broncos decide to release him,” Verderame writes. “No, Wilson is not the player he once was with the Seattle Seahawks. He’s also not the player we saw in 2022. Last season, Wilson was competent, throwing for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns against eight interceptions. At 35 years old, Wilson should be able to help a team, and few playoff-caliber clubs need more help under center than the Steelers.
“Furthermore, Pittsburgh can sign Wilson for the veteran’s minimum considering he’s still being paid a fortune by the Broncos, who are likely going to move on before his five-year extension kicks in. The Steelers can add Wilson on a short-term, cheap deal and immediately upgrade over Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph.”
In theory, it sounds well and good. Wilson was benched late last season by Broncos head coach Sean Payton after Wilson reportedly wouldn’t agree to a re-worked contract, shaving off some guaranteed money in case of an injury. After being benched, the Broncos are looking to move on from Wilson after he didn’t quite live up to expectations in two seasons in the Mile High City.
However, the 2023 season was a solid one for Wilson late in his career. As Verderame points out, Wilson threw for 3,070 yards and had 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. He was smart and efficient with the football and made some plays with his legs, too. But it’s clear he isn’t the Wilson everyone has come to know from his time in Seattle.
Still, at this point Wilson might be an upgrade over the likes of Pickett and Rudolph.
But expecting him to sign for dirt cheap seems a bit far-fetched. Wilson isn’t going to be taking the veteran minimum to play quarterback in the NFL. That’s simply not happening. He’s not going to break the bank, either, on a new deal, but expecting him to take $1.165 million, which is the veteran minimum for a player in the league seven-plus seasons, isn’t realistic.
Sure, he can be an affordable option, and you could probably get him for less than $10 million but expecting him to take pennies to hold down a starting job in the NFL seems a bit short-sighted.
He’s still got some good football left, and his next contract — wherever that may be — will show that. That might be in Pittsburgh after it makes some salary cap moves to free up more space. But he’s not signing for the minimum like Verderame believes.
