Provided that he signs a contract, we can probably reasonably assume that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback position is Russell Wilson’s to lose. And in order to lose it, he would have to struggle significantly, I imagine, to result in Kenny Pickett starting.
Which is why I and many others chuckled at Ian Rapoport’s Tweet. “Russell Wilson will now serve as competitor for Kenny Pickett in one of the most fascinating camp battles”, he wrote, to which Chad Ochocinco delivered a comedic response.
“Wait, hold on. A camp what?”, he asked his co-host, Shannon Sharp, on the Nightcap podcast. “Child, please. That’s what that gets, whoever wrote that shit”.
In other words, there is no camp battle. At least, many people don’t believe the Steelers intend to conduct a true, open competition. They assume that Wilson only agrees to sign here if he believes he’s going to start. Or, perhaps, they’re just laughing at the idea that Wilson might lose a quarterback battle to Pickett.
The Steelers drafted Pickett 20th overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has a 14-10 record as a starter, completing 446 of 713 pass attempts for 4,474 yards. While he’s only thrown 13 touchdowns in that time, he also has only 13 interceptions. He has led the Steelers to seven game-winning drives in 25 games.
Wilson posted a 7-8 record in 2023 with a very mediocre Denver Broncos team. He went 297-for-447 passing for 3,070 yards in 15 games with 26 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. They benched him with two games left to play and then announced their intentions to cut him last week. That announcement allowed the Broncos to grant Wilson permission to negotiate with other teams, though he can’t sign until Wednesday.
A former Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler, Wilson ranks 19th in all-time passing yards and time to gain. He has the 13th-most touchdowns and the ninth-most game-winning drives. Still 35 years old, he likely retires in or near the top five in most major quarterback statistics.
Nobody questions his long-term legacy, but rather his level of play for the 2024 season. The Steelers don’t care if his accomplishments in Seattle land him in the Hall of Fame. They want him to add to their trophy case—and he wants to add to his own. He’s still driven, saying recently that he wants to win two more Super Bowls. He currently has one, throwing an interception at the goal line to blow a second.
But who played better during the 2023 season, Wilson or Pickett? Who should play better in 2024, Wilson or Pickett? The Steelers already saw Pickett go through a near-perfect offseason just a year ago and it didn’t translate well. That alone should make them gun-shy about having an “open” competition. But Wilson still has to prove himself. Like Mitch Trubisky in 2024, he can’t completely fall flat on his face and still start. The Steelers don’t have enough on the line for him to feel he has that much security.
