On the eve of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers surprised the NFL world with some unexpected news.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the AFC North team reached an agreement with Russell Wilson after the Denver Broncos dismissed him. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it is a “team-friendly, one-year deal in which the Broncos will wind up paying $38 million of his salary while Wilson wears the black and yellow.”
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Pittsburgh will pay $1.2 million for the transaction. According to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, the Broncos will have to pay $37.79 million next season.
According to Over The Cap, the team has $18.4 million in overall team cap space.
Schefter also noted the veteran quarterback met with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for more than six hours on Friday.
Kenny Pickett is the only other quarterback on Pittsburgh’s current roster with Mason Rudolph heading to free agency, so Wilson knows exactly who his competition will be for the starting spot.
Here is a look at the Steelers’ depth chart for their offensive skill players:
Things did not go according to plan for Wilson during his two seasons with the Broncos.
But he should still beat out Pickett for the starting job.
After all, Pickett is far from the reason the Steelers made the playoffs last season with six touchdown passes to four interceptions. He has been inconsistent at best to start his career and now faces a potential future Hall of Famer in a battle for the No. 1 spot.
Wilson’s resume includes a Super Bowl title, nine Pro Bowl appearances and four seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards. Even in 2023, which was largely considered a mediocre-to-down season for him, he completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
