The shocking news broke yesterday - it will become official tomorrow - that the Steelers will be signing free agent Russell Wilson to "compete" for the quarterback job with incumbent Kenny Pickett is 2024.
I say "shocking" because if you are a long time fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers you know that a move like this has definitely NOT been the Steelers Way in the past. Wilson's credentials are well known: a multiple All-Pro in Seattle, where he twice took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, winning it once. His last two years in Denver have been rocky, some of the blame for which can be placed on Denver's coaches, but despite being benched last year, he produced 26 TD passes and only 8 interceptions, and his stats in the Red Zone have been great (you can look them up). I can also remember a game at Heinz Field a few years ago where the Seahawks beat the Steelers solely on the skills of Russell Wilson. Because of contractual complexities, almost all of Wilson's salary will be paid by the Broncos, so the financial risk to the Steelers is minimal, so maybe this isn't so shocking after all.
What I was not aware of is that Wilson has the reputation of being a diva and not a "good guy to have in the locker room." Mike Tomlin, it should be noted, got more out of guys like Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell than any other NFL coach ever did, so I'm thinking that Russell Wilson won't be too much for him to handle.
The Steelers and Tomlin have stressed that there will be a "competition" for the #1 QB job with Pickett being the incumbent, but you have to believe that Wilson will be the first among equals when they all report to St. Vincent's in July.
As for Pickett, I wrote THIS PIECE about him back in November, wherein I stated that I felt that there was rush to judgement among fans, columnists, talk radio gas bags, and ESPN talking heads that said Pickett was done, that he would never be a great, or even a very good, NFL quarterback, and that I thought it was way too soon to assign him to the "scrapheap of mediocrity." Apparently, the Steelers brain trust have also had some doubts, hence the move to sign Wilson. As someone who followed Pickett in his years at Pitt, I really want him to make it and make it with the Steelers. 2024, though, is shaping up to be a make it or break it year for Pickett as a Steeler.
Russell is 35 years old, so who knows how much he has left in the tank. The Steelers obviously feel that he is worth the risk. Can he help produce 10-12 wins and a run in the Playoffs next year? We can sure hope.
By the way, Wilson announced his intentions on his social media platforms by showing Steelers highlights with "Renegade" playing over top of them. If nothing else, he is savvy to his new audience.
One wag on Facebook posted that if it doesn't work with the Steelers, Wilson, once a highly touted baseball prospect, could take his talents to the Pirates, where he probably wouldn't be any worse than the 5th or 6th best player on the team. I'd laugh if that wasn't so close to being true.
Finally, some shots of two Wisconsin Badgers who will now be teammates.
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