It’s rare when big news posted minutes before midnight is a good thing. That feels more like people are trying to hide something. That wasn’t the case Sunday night when QB Russell Wilson posted a hype video about preparing to join the Steelers in free agency. The reactions have been flying fast and furious since reports broke of the 35-year-old quarterback joining the Steelers.
While next to no one is arguing that Wilson wouldn’t be an upgrade over Kenny Pickett, some are questioning how big of an upgrade he is. You can count Shannon Sharpe among those. On Monday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Sharpe had some positive thoughts but definitely kept the enthusiasm in check.
“The question is, what Russ are they getting? Whatever the case that may be, that Russ that they’re getting is better than Kenny Pickett,” Sharpe said before getting pushback from co-host Stephen A. Smith about the lack of enthusiasm. Sharpe fired back with a less-than-flattering comparison for both Wilson and Pickett. “Hold on! Bologna is an upgrade over potted meat. I don’t want either one of them though!”
For those of you who don’t know what potted meat is, it’s an ultra-processed blend of various meats that can even be spread on crackers. So maybe calling that a less-than-flattering comparison is putting it way too nicely. We can tell that Sharpe thinks incredibly little of Pickett as a football player.
What might be more surprising is that Sharpe seems to not think too highly of Wilson at this stage in his career, too. It’s impossible to dismiss Wilson’s abysmal 2022 season where he had a career-low completion percentage of 60.5 and only threw for 16 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions. However, Wilson still threw for more touchdowns that season than Pickett has in his entire career so far, hence why he’s an upgrade.
Sharpe also had more pleasant thoughts on the matter than simply calling Wilson bologna.
“I think this is an ideal situation for Russ,” Sharpe said earlier in the conversation. “He goes to a team that I think they believe in him. I think Mike Tomlin really likes him. I think Mike Tomlin realizes that Russ is better than anything that he’s had since a young Ben Roethlisberger…I think Steeler ownership has made that abundantly clear, winning seasons, 10-7, that’s not good enough for them. They want to be in a position where they can compete for championships, and they haven’t been able to do that in a very long time. And I think Russ is a viable option.”
Wilson bounced back in 2023 from his frankly putrid 2022 performance under former head coach Nathanial Hackett. He completed 66.4 percent of his passes (third-best mark of his career) while throwing 26 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. That would be a bigger upgrade than going from potted meat to bologna for most Steelers fans.
