The Pittsburgh Steelers have completely rebuilt their quarterback room during the 2024 offseason. They signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal, then traded Kenny Pickett. After all that, they then traded for Justin Feilds. Here is how Russell Wilson ranks among starting NFL quarterbacks.
Russell Wilson
On March 10th former Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson signed a massive contract with the Denver Broncos in 2022 worth up to 245 million dollars. After the Broncos struggled in the past few years and the hiring of Sean Payton, the Broncos gave Wilson the boot and took on the biggest dead cap hit of all time. This made Wilson a free agent meaning any team could sign him. This led him to Pittsburgh where he signed a one-year contract worth 1.2 million dollars to become the Steelers starting quarterback.
Now, the question is where does Russell Wilson rank among starting quarterbacks? Last season, Wilson had over 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was one of the best in the NFL at 3.25 to one.
Where Does He Rank?
At the end of the 2023 season, NFL.com ranked Wilson 20th out of the 32 main starting quarterbacks. It seems pretty clear that Russell Wilson is a known good starting quarterback, which should already put him right around the top 20. That would mean that he is above guys like Gardner Minshew, Will Levis, and Jacoby Brissett. Putting Russ with the Steelers’ weapons should also boost him over guys like Bryce Young and Daniel Jones, solidifying his spot in the top 20.
Top 10?
Already having stables like Mahomes, Allen, and Lamar Jackson along with young guns in CJ Stroud and Jordan Love, it doesn’t seem likely that Wilson will be inside the top 10 quarterbacks. Now if he has an incredible 2024 season, then he may be able to sneak in but in this case, he is on the outside looking in.
This puts Russell Wilson around the 10 to 20 range. Other quarterbacks in this range above Wilson are Brock Purdy, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa. Also, guys like Geno Smith and Derek Carr are just below Wilson. This leaves him around the tier of the top 15-18 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. This tier includes Jared Goff and Kyler Murray who are both very similar to Wilson but are younger with more upside.
This leaves Wilson in the 17th spot, which is right where he belongs. Even though it’s in the back half of the pack, he is still a good starting quarterback. There are lots of unknowns about how Wilson will perform in 2024. With proven playmaking and MVP upside, he could be a top-tier quarterback. Unfortunately, he is going into a new system at 35 years old where he might not thrive and could take a step back.
Also, in the NFL.com quarterback rankings, Kenny Pickett landed at the number 27 spot. This means Wilson is a massive upgrade for Pittsburgh. Wilson gives the Steelers a top-20 starting quarterback with top-10 upside in the NFL, which they have not had since Ben Rothlisberger.
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