The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to become the primary beneficiary of a recent quarterback being released amid his lucrative deal. According to Steelers Radio Network host Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh plans to meet with now-free agent and former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson ahead of free agency.
The Broncos released Wilson earlier this week and will pay him nearly $40 million in 2024. Wilson and the Broncos butted heads late last season when the AFC West club benched the signal-caller to “preserve financial flexibility.”
Pittsburgh Steelers: Eyeing Russell Wilson
The Pittsburgh Steelers will host Russell Wilson before the start of the new league year. Per Gerry Dulac, Wilson is interested in signing with the AFC North club after they went 10-7 and made the postseason in 2023.
Steelers are interested in signing Russell Wilson and are tentatively planning to meet with the former Broncos QB before start of free agency, per sources. Wilson has interest in joining Steelers. Story in PG forthcoming.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 7, 2024
Wilson played the past two seasons with the Denver Broncos, going 11-19 during that span. After a rough 2022 season, when he tossed a career-low 16 touchdowns and posted a brutal 84.4 quarterback rating, he bounced back nicely in 2023. The 35-year-old had 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight picks while completing 66% of his passes. He led the league with four fourth-quarter comebacks.
Wilson, a third-round draft pick in 2012, spent his first ten seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He earned Pro Bowl honors nine times while leading Seattle to a Super Bowl win in 2013. He posted a quarterback rating north of 100 seven times during his tenure with the Seahawks, including leading the league in that department after tossing 34 touchdowns to eight picks in 2015.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Struggled at Quarterback in 2023
The Steeler’s meeting with Russell Wilson makes sense after the team received poor performances from the quarterback room last year. Despite a playoff appearance, the quarterback trio of Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, and Kenny Pickett tossed just 13 touchdowns through 17 games. They finished in the bottom ten of the NFL in pass attempts, passing yards, touchdowns, and net yards per attempt.
Pickett, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 2022, has thrown just 13 touchdowns against 13 picks in his short NFL career. However, the team is 14-10 in his starts, emphasizing the talent on the defensive side of the ball. The Steelers have not finished in the top half of the NFL regarding passing touchdowns since 2020, the second to final year of the Ben Roethlisberger era.
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