The Denver Broncos are expected to release QB Russell Wilson this offseason. That has led to plenty of speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers will attempt to sign him. After all, the Steelers’ quarterback depth chart consists solely of Kenny Pickett right now.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Carton Show, there was plenty of conversation about Wilson and his fit with the Steelers. Former NFL WR Victor Cruz weighed in and made a bold proclamation.
“Russell Wilson, if he goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Steelers win the division next year,” Cruz said to surprised exclamations from the rest of the table.
That is an incredibly bold proclamation, one that host Craig Carton pushed back on. He went one by one, naming each team in the AFC North and the respective starting quarterbacks. Cruz answered affirmatively to each one, even waving a Terrible Towel that former Steelers OL Willie Colon handed him.
Wilson is certainly not the same quarterback that he was in Seattle where he made nine Pro Bowls before getting traded to Denver. During his two years with the Broncos, Wilson started 30 games and threw for 42 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and 6,594 yards while completing 63.3 percent of his passes. During his 10 years with the Seahawks, Wilson threw for 292 touchdowns with a touchdown percentage of 6.2 compared to 4.5 with the Broncos. Wilson also completed 65 percent of his passes and had an interception percentage of 1.8 compared to 2.0 with the Broncos.
Now that doesn’t mean that Wilson isn’t a quality upgrade at the quarterback position for the Steelers. In 15 games during the 2023 season, Wilson still threw for 26 touchdowns with a 5.8 touchdown percentage. That would be a huge upgrade in terms of scoring points. He also only threw eight interceptions, a percentage of 1.8. Then there’s the completion percentage of 66.4. Despite all the issues between Wilson and the Broncos, he was statistically much better in 2023 than in 2022.
However, there is the matter of age. Wilson will turn 36 during the 2024 season. He is not a long-term answer at the quarterback position. That’s why former NFL executive Doug Whaley doesn’t think the Steelers should pursue him. The argument is that Wilson isn’t going to be good enough to win the Super Bowl with the Steelers and won’t be around long enough for them to build around.
Colon did weigh in on Wilson, combining both the negatives of age and the fall-off in play in Denver with the positives of who Wilson is and the experience he provides.
“Russell Wilson comes with a warning sign, bottom line,” Colon said. “He lacks mobility, he isn’t the same quarterback we saw in Seattle. When he was in Denver, he took a big dip because he lost the locker room. However, he’s still a field general. He’s still a guy you can trust. And in Arthur Smith’s offense, you know they’re going to take the ball out of his [hands] a little bit and run the ball. He can still manage an offense… He’s a Band-Aid. He’s not the long-term.”
There’s no arguing that Wilson is not the long-term answer unless he suddenly finds the Fountain of Youth. Bringing in Wilson would only serve to help the Steelers in 2024 and maybe 2025. That’s enough for Cruz, though. He thinks that Wilson will be more than good enough to propel the Steelers to a division title. If that happens, then perhaps Wilson and the Steelers could prove Whaley wrong about winning a Super Bowl.
