Slowly exiting the season of speculation, there are now reports from local and national media members as well as photo evidence at the airport from Russell Wilson himself that meetings are starting to take place. Adam Schefter reported that Wilson was spotted at the Newark airport in New Jersey on his way to Pittsburgh to meet with the team and followed that up by saying Wilson has already met with the New York Giants and has other meetings on the schedule following his stop in Pittsburgh.
The emergence of other teams in the picture complicates things, but Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac thinks there is a good chance that a Wilson-Steelers deal could happen.
“So I think what is certain is that both sides want to meet, and if I had to guess, I would say there’s a better chance than not,” Dulac said via an appearance on WDVE’s Randy Baumann Morning Show. “That might be 51-49 [percent chance], but there’s other factors involved here, so I’m not gonna sit here and say, ‘Yeah, it’s going to happen.'”
Obviously this is speculation on the part of Dulac, but he was the one who broke the initial story on Thursday afternoon. He expanded on why a Wilson-Steelers union makes sense.
“So long as somebody doesn’t jump in with some stupid deal, like three years, $15 million. Look, Russell Wilson comes in for a veteran minimum and you get him cheap, you can backload the second year of the contract,” Dulac said. “The Steelers wouldn’t give him any more than a two-year deal…if it doesn’t work out after Year 1, you get rid of him and it doesn’t cost you a penny.”
This is where the presence of other teams in the picture complicates things. The Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders have been reported so far. With money less of a factor, Wilson will want to go to a team that gives him the best chance of starting while also considering how competitive the team can be. He recently stated that his five-year plan includes hoisting two more Lombardi Trophies.
He was at one point on a clear path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Seattle Seahawks, but his two-year disaster with the Denver Broncos has diminished his legacy to a certain extent. While a quarterback like Tom Brady went to a second team and won a Super Bowl, Wilson and the Broncos struggled while under the pressure of a massive contract with high guarantees.
More so than the Giants or Raiders, the Steelers have a lot of pieces in place to be a contending team. The team didn’t get much from the quarterback position and OC Matt Canada’s offensive system in 2023, but still qualified for the playoffs in a tough AFC North division. If Wilson believes in new OC Arthur Smith — and he clearly still believes in his own abilities — that could set the Steelers above the rest of the competition in free agency.
But don’t be so certain it will be on the veteran minimum salary that most are assuming he will work under. While a larger deal would offer no immediate financial gain for Wilson with the Broncos picking up the tab in 2024, a minimum deal would show little commitment on the part of the signing team. If he struggles, he would be pretty easy to move on from without much financial ramifications.
This isn’t a situation that is very common in the landscape of NFL contracts, so it will be fascinating to see how his different suitors try to set themselves apart via the eventual deal that is signed.
