The Pittsburgh Steelers found some real gems in the quarterback bargain bin this offseason, or so they hope, with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Due to their former teams’ unique circumstances, the Steelers managed to acquire both of them quite affordably.
The Denver Broncos owed Wilson $39 million this offseason with offset language, meaning his new team’s salary brings that down. Under those conditions, no team was going to sign him for more than the veteran minimum. Similarly, the Chicago Bears hold the first-overall pick and determined team chemistry dictates moving Fields. They are set on Caleb Williams as their new quarterback, so they accepted a bargain price for Fields.
Wilson is the quarterback expected to start, however—the Fields trade only materialized after Kenny Pickett left via trade himself. A former Super Bowl champion with a borderline Hall of Fame resume, he knows the remainder of his career hangs in the balance. That’s the sense Aditi Kinkhabwala gathers from sources, she told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller on 93.7 The Fan.
“I do think that Russell Wilson recognizes this moment for what it is”, she said, in part, meaning this is his last opportunity to reprove himself as a franchise quarterback. “I think he now recognizes, ‘Okay, it’s not just one [bad year], it’s two, and the second was with a guy that everybody recognizes as one of the best offensive minds’”, referring to Sean Payton, who won a Super Bowl in New Orleans with Drew Brees.
“There are certain things that need some tweaking, maybe on the field and also [in] the way that he creates rapport with his teammates”, Kinkhabwala added regarding Russell Wilson. “I believe that he is very cognizant of that, and I find that very hopeful”.
Wilson faced heavy criticism the past two years over reports about his lack of camaraderie with teammates. He has had Broncos players come to his defense, but those perceptions didn’t come out of nowhere.
Just a short time after signing with the Steelers, he seemingly immediately went to work changing that. He organized an impromptu workout, at which at least a few of his new skill players attended, in San Diego. The timing and distance likely caused a number of scheduling conflicts, but we know TE Pat Freiermuth was there.
Many players are now in the building with the beginning of Phase 1 of the offseason program. This doesn’t consist of very much, but it’s the beginning of the team-building process. All of the quarterbacks have been seen there, including Wilson at the heart of the group.
One hopes he manages to better endear himself to Pittsburgh than he did in Denver. To that end, he has far much less to lose, and the Steelers have a lower bar to clear. Their play at the quarterback position has lagged for years, particularly the last two but really the last five.
Many perceive that Wilson just needs to manage the offense and not get in the way. Don’t be the reason you lose. The Steelers have the makings of a good running game and a good defense. They even invested heavily in special teams this offseason, including signing a former All-Pro kick returner. And they added an experienced offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith. If Wilson doesn’t make it work here, this really should be his last chance.
