It’s official. Russell Wilson is a Pittsburgh Steeler. The black and gold announced Friday that the veteran quarterback signed a one-year deal with the team. The signing comes one week after Wilson visited the team.The AP reports the Steelers will pay Wilson $1.21 million, while the Denver Broncos will pay the remainder of his $39 million salary. The 35-year-old Wilson was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos after being acquired in a trade from Seattle. He bounced back from a dreadful 2022 season and threw 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, but still lost his job to Jarrett Stidham after going 7-8 in coach Sean Payton’s first season last year.Wilson led Seattle to eight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 10 seasons with the Seahawks.The Steelers lost a wild-card playoff game with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback. Rudolph went 3-0 after replacing Kenny Pickett, who was 7-5 before going down with an injury. Mitch Trubisky started the other two games and went 0-2.Pittsburgh is scheduled to play the Broncos in Denver this upcoming season — and the game could feature a return by Wilson. The NFL is expected to release its league schedule in May.Video above: Will Russell Wilson be a good fit with the Pittsburgh Steelers?Last week, the Broncos informed Wilson they’d release him when the new league year begins Wednesday — but gave him permission to speak to other teams.“We thank Russell for his contributions and dedications to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career,” the team posted on its social media channels last week, adding, “We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”After signing a nearly quarter-billion-dollar extension before playing a down in Denver, Wilson contended the Broncos had threatened to bench him for the final nine games last season if he didn’t push back his $37 million injury guarantee in his contract.Wilson declined to adjust his deal and started seven more games before getting benched in what Payton insisted was a football move, not a financial one.The move also comes less than two weeks after Steelers general manager Omar Khan said the team had “full faith” in Pickett, a former star next door at the University of Pittsburgh who has struggled to be a difference maker at the most important position on the field.Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has defended Pickett at every turn since the Steelers selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft. Tomlin admitted in the days after Pittsburgh’s loss to Buffalo in the playoffs that 2024 would be a “huge” year for Pickett, and the plan was to bring in competition during training camp.That competition won’t be on the well-liked Rudolph — who has signed with the Tennessee Titans — but instead a player with a potentially Hall of Fame caliber resume who has just one playoff win since 2016 and struggled to fit in in Denver.Wilson joins a team that has plenty of youth on offense in running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, and stars on defense in perennial All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.With Watt and Fitzpatrick both in their primes, Pittsburgh appears to be in a hurry to close the gap between itself and the AFC’s elite, a club the Steelers haven’t been a part of for at least a half-decade. Team president Art Rooney II said in January it was “time to get some wins” in the playoffs, something Pittsburgh hasn’t done since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016.Enter Wilson and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, hired last month to revive a unit that has finished 21st or worse in points per game four times in the last five years. ___The Associated Press contributed to this report
It’s official. Russell Wilson is a Pittsburgh Steeler.
The black and gold announced Friday that the veteran quarterback signed a one-year deal with the team.
The signing comes one week after Wilson visited the team.
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The AP reports the Steelers will pay Wilson $1.21 million, while the Denver Broncos will pay the remainder of his $39 million salary.
The 35-year-old Wilson was 11-19 in two seasons with the Broncos after being acquired in a trade from Seattle. He bounced back from a dreadful 2022 season and threw 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, but still lost his job to Jarrett Stidham after going 7-8 in coach Sean Payton’s first season last year.
Wilson led Seattle to eight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 10 seasons with the Seahawks.
The Steelers lost a wild-card playoff game with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback. Rudolph went 3-0 after replacing Kenny Pickett, who was 7-5 before going down with an injury. Mitch Trubisky started the other two games and went 0-2.
Pittsburgh is scheduled to play the Broncos in Denver this upcoming season — and the game could feature a return by Wilson. The NFL is expected to release its league schedule in May.
Video above: Will Russell Wilson be a good fit with the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Last week, the Broncos informed Wilson they’d release him when the new league year begins Wednesday — but gave him permission to speak to other teams.
“We thank Russell for his contributions and dedications to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career,” the team posted on its social media channels last week, adding, “We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”
After signing a nearly quarter-billion-dollar extension before playing a down in Denver, Wilson contended the Broncos had threatened to bench him for the final nine games last season if he didn’t push back his $37 million injury guarantee in his contract.
Wilson declined to adjust his deal and started seven more games before getting benched in what Payton insisted was a football move, not a financial one.
The move also comes less than two weeks after Steelers general manager Omar Khan said the team had “full faith” in Pickett, a former star next door at the University of Pittsburgh who has struggled to be a difference maker at the most important position on the field.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has defended Pickett at every turn since the Steelers selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft. Tomlin admitted in the days after Pittsburgh’s loss to Buffalo in the playoffs that 2024 would be a “huge” year for Pickett, and the plan was to bring in competition during training camp.
That competition won’t be on the well-liked Rudolph — who has signed with the Tennessee Titans — but instead a player with a potentially Hall of Fame caliber resume who has just one playoff win since 2016 and struggled to fit in in Denver.
Wilson joins a team that has plenty of youth on offense in running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, and stars on defense in perennial All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
With Watt and Fitzpatrick both in their primes, Pittsburgh appears to be in a hurry to close the gap between itself and the AFC’s elite, a club the Steelers haven’t been a part of for at least a half-decade. Team president Art Rooney II said in January it was “time to get some wins” in the playoffs, something Pittsburgh hasn’t done since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016.
Enter Wilson and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, hired last month to revive a unit that has finished 21st or worse in points per game four times in the last five years.
___
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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