Russell Wilson’s best football might be behind him but, all things considered, he might represent the best option for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the near term.
The Steelers signed the veteran quarterback last Sunday night, according to ESPN. Because the Broncos cut Wilson, they're on the hook for about $38 million of his salary, with the Steelers are getting him at a steep discount at the veteran minimum of $1.21 million.
Wilson’s issues at this point have been well-documented. Although he finished last season with 26 touchdown passes and eight interceptions, he was hardly the playmaker in Denver that he was in Seattle.
But at this juncture he represents a better option than Kenny Pickett, who has struggled to find his footing in the NFL. And at a time when quarterbacks can eat up a substantial amount of a team’s cap space, the Steelers are in a decent spot to make other moves with Pickett on his rookie deal and Wilson getting paid veteran minimum.
Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson raved about the deal Monday on The Fan Morning Show.
“Is he the Russell Wilson of 10 years ago? He’s not,” Crowley said. “He threw 26 touchdowns last year and eight interceptions. The numbers are still good, but we know that numbers can be misleading, Ben’s final season he put up decent numbers and you could tell he didn’t quite ‘have it’ anymore. But he also gave them a chance. Russell Wilson gives them a chance. This is the best possible option for the Pittsburgh Steelers to contend this year.
“If you want to talk about Justin Fields and how he could be the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers if they had gone that route, OK, I’ll entertain that. That’s a guy with upside that’s young. Kenny Pickett is young. Russell Wilson gives them the best chance to win this year, because he can still play and you pay him basically nothing. Your quarterback room is as cheap as any quarterback room in the entire NFL.
“They can go out and sign a center, they can go out and sign a wide receiver, they can go out and sign a cornerback, they can go out and explore inside linebacker, and then you’ve got the draft. This is how you give your team the biggest possible facelift. You’ve just upgraded quarterback, and it doesn’t preclude you from upgrading the rest of the roster.”